July 2011 - Our Voice in Action

OPHA: Supporting Violence Prevention Efforts

OPHA has maintained a Violence Prevention Workgroup since 1997 when violence was formally recognized as a public health issue. Since that time, this workgroup’s mandate has been to provide consultation and direction regarding the implementation of violence prevention initiatives to OPHA, health units, community agencies and communities at large across Ontario and Canada. The Workgroup also informs OPHA members about current issues and contributes to healthy public policy on violence prevention.

Workgroup members have continued to support Prevention of Violence Canada in coordinating Town Hall meetings at CPHA conferences for the past six years. The goal of these meetings is to develop a national strategy on violence prevention. Work group efforts have included financial and administrative support at meetings in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The latest Town Hall meeting was held on June 20, 2011 in Montreal as highlighted by Liz Haugh in the President's message.

The Violence Prevention Workgroup also strives to address physical punishment through education and advocacy for repeal of section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada.  The Workgroup supports the work of the Coalition on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth and the Canadian Network on Ending Corporal Punishment of Children. Future efforts on this issue will include supporting the development of a national education campaign on the harms of physical punishment of children.

Violence is clearly connected to a variety of other social issues such as alcohol misuse. The Violence Prevention Workgroup has contributed to the Alcohol Policy Network’s report entitled Alcohol and Community-based Violence: A Systematic Review (2010). The report notes that alcohol-related violence is facilitated by alcohol use and its availability. It concludes with a number of strategies and recommendations incorporating community action and healthy public policy across prevention, harm reduction, treatment and enforcement.

For more information, visit the Violence Prevention Workgroup’s page at www.opha.on.ca/our_voice/workgroups/violence_prevention.shtml