Family violence is still a major problem in Canadian society. In 2002, shelters for abused women admitted 15,909 women and children in B.C. Between 1996 and 2001, the number of child protection investigations in our province increased substantially, as did the number of children in care and one out of every 12 seniors in B.C. experiences abuse.

In an effort to bring awareness to these issues, the Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society (VLMFSS), with funding from Canadian Heritage – Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, is releasing a series of three educational DVDs, each depicting three, culturally-specific, scenarios on child abuse, wife abuse, and elder abuse. The DVDs have been created in three languages, Spanish, Chinese, and Punjabi, with English subtitles. Along with being a tool for counsellors and service providers who work with these populations, it is hoped that the DVDs will aid in creating an understanding of and promoting dialogue about the issues within these specific ethnic communities, eventually becoming the basis for culture-specific programs and interventions.

The dedicated group of multicultural/multilingual workers is lead by Executive Director, Shashi Assanand, who believes that empowering one generation of women creates a domino effect that impacts every generation that follows. Regarding the DVDs, she has stated that “family violence is pervasive. All systems, service providers, and community members need to come together to find solutions to the abuse of vulnerable members of families. These nine culturally-appropriate scenarios are a tool to help create awareness and dialogue amongst the concerned communities.”

The DVDs will be released on the morning of Friday, September 19th, 2008 at a formal launch to be held at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby from 8.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. The DVDs will be screened at this time, followed by a luncheon for federal, provincial, and local dignitaries and invited guests.