QUEEN'S PARK – Naomi Judd, country music star and domestic violence survivor, will be the keynote speaker at a provincially-funded conference about ending violence against women, Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues Deb Matthews announced today.

Hosted by the Family Violence Project of Waterloo Region, the conference will be held in Kitchener from February 25 to 27, 2008. Titled “A Provincial Conference: Communities Working Together to End Violence Against Women,” the conference will enable police, healthcare, and other front-line workers to learn about leading-edge approaches for ending violence against women.

For more information including how to register, visit www.communitiesworkingtogether.ca

“Women have a fundamental right to be safe and secure in their own homes and in their communities,” said Matthews. “By helping to prevent violence against women, we are building stronger, safer communities.”

Speakers at the conference will include:

• Dr. Peter Jaffe, Academic Director, Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children
• Dr. Michael Kaufman, an expert on engaging men to end violence against women and co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign and
• Dr. Leslie Tutty, Academic Research Coordinator of RESOLVE Alberta – one of three offices of a tri-provincial research institute on family violence.

“This conference will go a long way toward enhancing support for women experiencing violence,” said Cathy Brothers, Conference Chair, Family Violence Project of Waterloo Region. “Our thanks to the Ontario government for supporting these efforts.”

In addition to this conference, the McGuinty government has helped to prevent violence against women and children by:

• Providing more than $190 million annually to violence against women services including a four-year $82 million Domestic Violence Action Plan that provides community-based supports, public education and training, better access to French-language services and strengthens Ontario’s criminal and family justice systems
• Funding $5.9 million over four years for training, research and conferences to assist professionals in recognizing the signs of domestic violence and providing appropriate supports and referrals
• Investing in the Neighbours, Friends and Families public education campaign, which provides information to help individuals recognize the signs of abuse and know what action to take.

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Contacts:
Stephanie Kupiec, Minister’s Office, (416) 212-3394
Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications Branch, (416) 314-7010

Backgrounder: Communities Working Together To End Violence Against Women Conference