Declaration of Principles
Declaration of Principles to Eliminate and Prevent Violence Against Women in Housing Cooperatives
Many of the testimonies collected as part of the project revealed concrete examples of violent situations experienced by women in housing cooperatives.
The women interviewed talked about the different types of violence which can occur in cooperatives: interfering in women’s lives by spying on them, being stalked, insulted, humiliated, manipulated, threatened, harassed, assaulted, bullied, denigrated, excluded, knocking on women’s doors in order to pressure them and accosting women in communal spaces (such as in yards or in laundry rooms).
By adopting this Declaration of Principles at the Annual General Meeting in 2018, the members of the women’s committee and the project team hope that the FECHIMM [now known as the FHCQ] will take a stand against violence against women, leading by example by making housing cooperatives truly safe living spaces where all residents will be free from harassment, bullying, and sexual and intimate partner violence.
The Declaration notes that many abuses of power are committed against women who have more precarious economic situations, including women who are seniors, racialized, Indigenous, lesbian, trans, disabled, and/or dealing with mental health issues.