BTW, if you have links to events or resources the community would be interested in, send them to [email protected] and we can include them in our calendar, etc. Thanks!
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Kickaction Team | http://www.kickaction.ca
Anyway, I agree with you about wanting to stop male violence against women. That is the issue that motivated me to get involved in feminist activism and work with girls. Still not sure how to solve the problem. I guess for me it is more about having a conversation with my friends (both guys and girls) about it, making sure that my friends know that it is NOT OKAY. And making sure there is help available if they need it.
What sorts of things do you do on this issue? Do you talk about it with your friends, or is it too hard to talk about?
I’m interested to hear your ideas.
Let’s keep blogging on this issue to see what other girls have to say.
Be in touch,
- Joslyn.
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Kickaction Team | http://www.kickaction.ca
Are there any celebrity women out there that you respect and admire? I am personally a big fan of Kate Winslet and Susan Sarandon.
Check this out. It’s a list of the Ten most inspirational women of 2005, from something called The Celebrity Blog
1.Sienna Miller
2.Gwen Stefani
3.Kerry Katona
4.Kylie Minogue
5.Hilary Duff
6.Charlotte Church
7.Jessica Simpson
8.Paris Hilton
9.Jessica Alba
10.Christine Aguilera
So, what do you think about that?
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[email protected]
Kickaction Team | http://www.kickaction.ca
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[email protected]
Kickaction Team | http://www.kickaction.ca
I was reading an article in a nursing journal about the role(s) health care providers play in young persons sexual health and it reminded me of the concerns you listed (i.e. “attitudes toward sexual health, toward our bodies, our relationships, our independence, our confidence, our ability to negotiate…”).
While some of the article’s content was “problematic”, I thought one of the recommendations actually made sense and speaks to your concerns.
The article mentioned that individuals may refrain from STI testing because of a lack of confidence within the current system, fears of forced disclosure of test results and confidentiality/anonymity issues.
And while The Man has reasons for accurately documenting the incidence of STI’s among populations, increased surveillance may actually deter a person’s willingness to get tested.
So, how about increasing the amount of anonymous testing facilities.
Could anonymous testing be a means by which marginalized persons in the Health Care system increase their sense of empowerment towards their sexual health?
I googled annonymous testing, and came up with a document from the Public Health Agency of Canada. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/epiu-aepi/epi_update_may_04/3_e.html .
An important opening remark from their report on HIV Testing and Infection is that “although anonymous testing may encourage testing, it is not available in all provinces and territories.” In Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Manitoba and PEI Anonymous testing is not yet available.
Presently there is “nominal/name-based ” and “non-nominal/non-identifying” based testing in all provinces and territories(see the website for full explaination).
Basically, this means that the “non-nominal/non-identifying” testing is not completely anonymous, …ot offers a degree of “confidentialy.” still, the clinic, health care office, etc. collects patient information (such as age, gender, city of residence, name of diagnosing health care provider, country of birth); information detailing the HIV-related risk factors of the person being tested; and laboratory data. (The amount of information collected is dependent upon the province/territory.)If the HIV test result is positive, the person ordering the test is legally obligated to notify public health officials of the positive test result. The test result is recorded in the health care record of the person being tested.
Also some important notes from that report
-”in Quebec, between 1994 and 1998, over 45% of the anonymous test users declared that the anonymity of the test was one of their primary reasons for getting tested.”
-Several studies in the USA have shown that AHT programs encourage people to be tested for HIV infection, especially those at high risk or those who would not volunteer for testing under nominal/name-based or non-nominal/ non-identifying circumstances.
-An evaluation study of AHT in Ontario suggested that AHT provides testing to populations that are not otherwise accessing it.
So if Anonymous testing increases access to testing, why isn’t is universally available across Canada?
]]>I am so proud of her and I knew this day would come when she would realize that he was no longer going to hit her again. What I learned from our friendship is that I would give her advice on what to do but it was up to her in the end to make that decision to leave him.
P.S.
She told me there were warning signs at the beginning of their relationship, which she ignored because she saw it as him loving her and caring about her. The signs she noticed from him was being controlling such as wanting to know constantly who she was hanging out with and where she was going. Then it progressed into major things.
To all girls and young women be careful and look out for certain warning signs and if you are in an abusive relationship there is support when you are ready to receive it.
Cheers
Chantale