Violence against Older Women: Engaging Mature Survivors to Improve Awareness, Build Financial Security, and Enhance Access to Services
November 29th, 2023
EAPO Annual Virtual Conference Series, 2023
Inclusive Voices, Collective Power
Session:
Violence against Older Women: Engaging Mature Survivors to Improve Awareness, Build Financial Security, and Enhance Access to Services
Building financial security is a crucial turning point for all survivors of gender-based violence on their paths to safety and independence. For women over the age of 55, they face unique barriers related to IPV, gender inequality, and ageism that block access to financial security. In this presentation, WomanACT and two survivors with lived experience share insights from WomanACT research into violence against older women. You will hear about the impacts of abuse on financial security, structural barriers to building financial security for women over the age of 55, and promising practices to build systems and services that can improve the social and economic inclusion of older survivors.
Speakers:
Premila Chellapermal
Project Coordinator, WomanACT
Premila has worked in the violence against women sector in multiple jurisdictions and projects, including in the criminal justice and legal sector, shelter services, and crisis and community services. She has an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice and an interest in intersectional gender-based violence research. She is currently leading projects with WomanACT on older women’s experiences of gender-based violence, on employment and safety among racialized women in Toronto and building trauma-informed and anti-oppressive gender-based violence services.
Jane Wang
Project coordinator, WomanACT
Jane is a project coordinator at WomanACT where she engages survivors of gender-based violence and community agencies to transform policies and programs. Prior to joining WomanACT, Jane was in Canberra, Australia working on whole-of-government initiatives responding to domestic and family violence. In addition to her experience researching gender-based violence, Jane has worked in intergovernmental relations and with Indigenous communities.
