For immediate release May 21, 2008  

Media contact Mairi Campbell, Tel: 778-885-5300, E-mail: mairi.campbell@telus.net

Canada Leading the Way in Combating Domestic Violence in Africa
African Women Leaders Speak Out in Canadian Tour

VANCOUVER CANADA-The Peter Lee inquest in Victoria, the child deaths in Merritt, and the recent release of the report Keeping Women Safe, has highlighted the urgent need for a more integrated response to domestic violence.

A groundbreaking training model for integrating the justice system, developed in British Columbia, is now being used in South Africa and Ethiopia to train police, prosecutors and judges to work together to combat the rampant domestic violence in these countries.

The African project leaders, Mahdere Paulos (ex high-court judge and Executive Director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyer's Association) and Tsidi Kambula (Prosecutor for the South African National Prosecuting Authority), will participate in a Canada-wide tour launching in Vancouver May 28. These courageous women will share the challenges and lessons learned from their partnership with the Justice Education Society of British Columbia (JES) with policy makers, legal professionals, victim service workers, and the general public.

“If we want to have a system that keeps women safe and prevents the kind of tragedy we have seen in the Peter Lee case, we have to do more to train police and prosecutors on the issue of domestic violence. The dialogue generated by this tour couldn’t be more timely,” says Dr Lori Haskell, expert witness for the Peter Lee inquiry.

“Being safe in your own home is a basic human right,” states Evelyn Neaman, International and Special Projects Manager for JES. “This tour is an invaluable opportunity for Canadians and Africans to share experiences and raise awareness about this terrible epidemic. There is so much we can learn from this project about how to better integrate our own justice system.”

The national tour includes the public screening of a documentary, IT’S TIME: AFRICAN WOMEN JOIN HANDS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, May 28, 7:30 pm, depicting the desperate plight of women and girls in South Africa and Ethiopia, and the fearless efforts of these African women to change the system. See trailer: http://itstimeafrica.org/trailer.html

The project, which has been recognized internationally by organizations like UNICEF, is described by Kambula as, “A product of an excellent combination of both the Canadian and our own South African expertise in the various areas of domestic violence.”

The Justice Education Society of British Columbia is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs and services about the justice system in Canada and internationally. JES has been recognized for work in Canada and abroad in the area of criminal justice reform, including domestic violence. The society has worked with partner organizations in South Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Central America, Guatemala, China and Montenegro.

VANCOUVER PUBLIC FORUM
A Documentary Screening of
IT’S TIME: AFRICAN WOMEN JOIN HANDS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE


Followed by a discussion panel featuring special guests

Mahdere Paulos, Executive Director Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association
& Tsidi Kambula, Prosecutor, South African National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)

Wednesday, May 28, 7:30 pm
UBC Robson Square Theatre
800 Robson Street, Vancouver
Admission: Free
Seating Limited

For a complete list of events in Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, and Ottawa, go to www.itstimeafrica.org