New Law Reform Reports from West Coast LEAF

Community posts
By Laura Track
Legal Director, West Coast LEAF

 

West Coast LEAF has published two new law reform reports in the last couple of months, and we hope you’ll check them out!

CyberMisogynyIn June, we released #CyberMisogyny: Using and Strengthening Canadian Legal Responses to Gendered Hate and Harassment Online. Cyber misogyny is the term we use to describe sexualized bullying, harassment, and hate speech directed at women and girls online. While harassment and discrimination against women and girls are nothing new, the Internet has created new opportunities to perpetuate harassment and abuse widely and anonymously, and the law has been slow to respond.

We analyzed five common manifestations of cyber misogyny:

  • “revenge porn” (non-consensual sharing of intimate images, often by an ex-partner)
  • “sexting” among youth
  • child sexual exploitation
  • cyberstalking
  • gender-based hate speech online.

We provide an overview of the current legal responses available to victims of these forms of cyber misogyny under criminal, civil, and human rights law, and make 35 recommendations for how Canadian and BC law and policy could be strengthened to better protect the equality rights of women, girls, and other vulnerable communities online.

Able MothersThen in September, we released Able Mothers: The intersection of parenting, disability and the law. This report takes a critical look at the discriminatory misconceptions and stereotypes that can influence decisions affecting mothers with disabilities. It also makes recommendations for law and policy reforms to better protect the dignity, equality, and rights of disabled mothers and women seeking to become mothers.

Governments have a legal obligation to provide the supports necessary so that parents can provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. However, our research shows that government is failing to meet this obligation, with devastating results for both children and their disabled mothers. Rather than removing children from their disabled parents and placing them in foster care, we believe that government should be providing the supports these parents need, in the best interests of their children.

LSS Launches Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC Website

New on Clicklaw

Aboriginal Legal Aid in BCLegal Services Society has launched its Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC website, which replaces and expands upon their previous Aboriginal section on the LSS Website. The new website design is built as a result of feedback from the community, making information easy to find.

Information on Aboriginal legal rights is offered in plain language. The new site provides guides on family law, child protection, social assistance on reserve (with the latest rates), the Indian residential schools settlement and wills and estates on reserve. Plain language information also includes Gladue, First Nations Court and harvesting rights.

The above mentioned guides are housed under five main subject tabs with a drop-down menu style for added search convenience: Your Family; Your Legal Rights; Benefits and Services; The Ministry and Your Kids; Legal Aid Can Help

The website interface has an easy-to-read layout with the content pages featuring:

  • Contextual information on publications and who can help.
  • Relevant publications and who can help information are listed right next to the information to which they apply. This gives end users the information they need to help answer their questions without having to search for it.
  • Plain language definitions of complex legal terms are bolded in red; hover your mouse over the term to get the definition which appears in a pop-up window.

Technology plays a large part in our daily lives, and this now includes how we access and use legal information. The Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC website is designed to fit all devices, allowing you to read and navigate the materials on your phone or tablet.