March 8th is International Women's Day: a day to recognize women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and to acknowledge the challenges they continue to face. This day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.
In recognition of this day having just passed, we have highlighted some legal resources and organizations that specifically serve women. Consider adding these to your reference toolkit!
Organizations
Rise Women’s Legal Centre
Rise Women’s Legal Centre is based in Vancouver, BC, and serves individuals who self-identify as women. Rise currently offers legal services in family law and immigration (specifically application for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds).
Most services are provided by upper-year law students from the University of British Columbia under the supervision of staff lawyers.
Rise can offer consultations by phone for those who live outside the Greater Vancouver area, though they cannot offer representation to those outside this area.
For more information, check out their website: https://www.womenslegalcentre.ca
West Coast LEAF (Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund)
Using a collaborative approach, West Coast LEAF focuses on litigation, law reform, and public legal education to create social change.
West Coast LEAF has been involved in equality rights cases at all levels of court. They act as an intervenor, (not directly representing the plaintiff or the defendant) and make arguments on how particular laws or actions impact equality in systemic and substantive ways.
West Coast LEAF also monitors the progress of laws and makes submissions to legislative committees, politicians, and government officials to change historic patterns of systemic discrimination.
More of their current work can be found here. For more information, check out their website: http://www.westcoastleaf.org
BWSS (Battered Women’s Support Services)
BWSS provides support and advocacy for women who have experienced abuse, as well as education and training about violence against women. Their goal is the elimination of all violence against women and girls.
See information on their Legal Services and Advocacy here:
https://www.bwss.org/support/programs/legal-advocacy/
Online Family Legal Tools
Online Divorce Assistant (Beta)
This online resource helps people complete documents for filing for joint divorces in the Supreme Court of BC. “Joint divorce” means that both spouses agree about getting a divorce and agree about all of the family law issues relevant to their situation (e.g.: spousal support and division of property).
Law Coach: Expert Separation Guidance
Provided by the Justice Education Society, Law Coach provides affordable, personalized guidance to help people move through the process of either separation or divorce. The service is accessible online, by phone, or by email.
At Your Library
Our collection guide, Law Books for Libraries, recommends the following titles. These may be in your library collection now!
Gender, Sex, and the Law in Canada
Examines the intersection between the law and gender and explores the effect of gender bias in the application and development of the law.
LGBTQ2+ Law: Practice Issues and Analysis
This text explores issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity and the specific challenges members of the LGBTQ2+ community face interacting with the Canadian legal landscape.
Sexual Harassment in Canada: A Guide for Understanding And Prevention
This book is a guide to understanding sexual harassment and intended to help in developing policies and procedures aimed at reducing the incidence of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Surrogacy in Canada: Critical Perspectives in Law and Policy
This book is a collection of critical perspectives on the governance of surrogacy in Canada and discusses the challenges of regulating surrogacy (in Canada and elsewhere). It also provides empirical data about surrogacy in Canada.
Understanding Discrimination in Employment Law
This book offers a comprehensive overview of the law that applies to discrimination in employment.