April 26, 2012 – Innovative Approaches to Protecting Vulnerable and Marginalized Women keynote presentation added to Missing Women Commission of Inquiry Public Policy Forums

Doreen Binder, a leader in the development and implementation of innovative approaches to protecting vulnerable and marginalized women, will deliver a special keynote address on the topic at the lead-in event to the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry’s Public Policy Forums.

The Innovative Approaches to Protecting Vulnerable and Marginalized Women keynote presentation by Doreen Binder will be held on Monday, April 30 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Public Library, Peter Kaye Room. It is open to the public and will be streamed live on the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry’s website (www.missingwomeninquiry.ca).

Ms. Binder is a member of the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force and is Director of Transition Projects, a community organization that will house the city’s first community court dedicated to issues of homelessness, sex work and women’s safety. The Community Court is set to open on May 4, 2012.

Ms. Binder will speak about her experiences developing innovative approaches to protecting vulnerable and marginalized women. This will include topics such as community policing and developing relationships to keep women safe, the importance of holistic programming and cooperation between police and social services, and how to work with women to build trusting communication that helps to meet their needs. She will also talk about her role in developing the Community Court.

This special keynote presentation will lead into a series of six Public Policy Forums from May 1 to May 10, 2012. The forums are open to the public and participation is encouraged. For those unable to attend, the forums will be live streamed online on the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry website (www.missingwomeninquiry.ca).

The Public Policy Forums are an opportunity for interested members of the public to provide ideas and suggestions for practical reform and implementation strategies related to the phenomenon of missing and murdered women. The Public Policy Forums are a component of the Study Commission, which is of equal importance to the hearings in the overall mandate of the Commission. The Study Commission involves five main initiatives: consultations, research, written submissions, workshops and policy forums.

Additional information regarding the forums, including an overview of what the forums entail, FAQs, how to participate, guidelines for engagement and an outline of each forum topic, complete with reports and studies relevant to the topics, can be found on the website (www.missingwomeninquiry.ca).

The upcoming policy forums are:

Policy Forum 1: Ensuring the Safety of Vulnerable Women, Session A: Preventing Violence Against Sex Trade Workers
Date: Tuesday, May 1
Time: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Peter Kaye Room
350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver

Policy Forum 1: Ensuring the Safety of Vulnerable Women, Session B: Preventing Violence Against Aboriginal and Rural Women
Date: Tuesday, May 1
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Peter Kaye Room
350 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver

Policy Forum 1: Ensuring the Safety of Vulnerable Women, Session C: Building Strong Police-Community Relationships
Date: Thursday, May 3
Time: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Peter Kaye Room
350 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver

Policy Forum 2: Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses in the Criminal Justice Process
Date: Thursday, May 3
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Vancouver Public Library, Peter Kaye Room
350 West Georgia Street
Vancouver

Policy Forum 3: Improving Missing Person Practices, Session A: Accepting and Investigating Missing Person Reports
Date: Monday, May 7
Time: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 420
580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

Policy Forum 3: Improving Missing Person Practices, Session B: Police Relationships with Victims’ Families, the Community, the Public and the Media
Date: Monday, May 7
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 420
580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

Policy Forum 4: Inter-jurisdictional Collaboration and Coordination Among Police
Date: Tuesday, May 8
Time: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 420
580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

Policy Forum 5: Enhancing Police Accountability
Date: Tuesday, May 8
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Room 420
580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

Policy Forum 6: From Report to Substantive Change – Healing, Reconciliation and Implementation
Date: Thursday, May 10
Time: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Wosk Centre For Dialogue, Room 320
580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
 

-END-