Women's Self Defence - The Aga Khan Influence

Why it’s so hard for women to legally defend themselves against their attackers

Pepper spray is illegal to carry and Vancouver women run the risk of being perceived as perpetrators of violence.

It can start off seemingly benign. The feeling that someone is watching you a little too closely or happens to be walking in your direction after dark.

But for many women in Vancouver and across Canada, terrifying and potentially violent situations arise unexpectedly and escalate quickly.

Last week, Jamie Coutts was followed for 40 minutes by a man in the Tinseltown area. After making several loops around the block to try and get him to stop, she turned her camera on "selfie mode" to record the encounter.

But Coutts' story is not an anomaly. In fact, numerous women responded to the story by saying they were followed by the same man or other men in the city.

On the heels of International Women's Day, #notallmenbutallwomen trended on Twitter after the "not all men" sentiment surfaced on the platform. Many men felt personally attacked by the "me too" movement rather than focusing on the actual issue: violence against women.

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/vancouver-news/vancouver-women-share-how-they-defend-themselves-against-attackers-3574060

How can women protect themselves if self-defence weapons are illegal?

According to Statistics Canada, a higher risk of sexual assault is noted among those who are women, young, single, Aboriginal, LGBTQ+, or with poorer mental health. These are the people that are disadvantaged because self-defence weapons are illegal. You can’t expect everyone to know self-defence, or even to be able to defend themselves when put in a dangerous situation, so by criminalizing anything that can be used as a weapon for self-defence, a lot of women—or anyone that has reason to feel unsafe—are being put at risk. The only thing that leaves to use in a dangerous situation is an air horn or any noise-making machine, but that does very little in terms of defence, or even offence, and if you burst the assaulter’s eardrum with the air horn you can get in a lot of trouble. It’s hard to tell who is really being protected under these laws.

https://theotherpress.ca/how-can-women-protect-themselves-if-self-defence-weapons-are-illegal/

Former CEO of Aga Khan Museum to lead Canadian Museum of History

Henry Kim, the former director of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, has been chosen to be the new chief executive officer for the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., Radio-Canada has learned.

The national museum has been without an official leader since CEO Mark O'Neill resigned in April, two months before his planned retirement date.

O'Neill had been the subject of a workplace harassment investigation following complaints about his temperament and management style.

The investigation wrapped up in January and was submitted to Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. It has not been made public.

The federal government presented Kim as a candidate to the museum's board of directors for approval.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/henry-kim-canadian-museum-of-history-1.6073706

7 things you wanted to know about the Aga Khan controversy, but were afraid to ask

When news of Justin Trudeau’s holiday visit to a private Caribbean island leaked out, the prime minister’s political opponents were quick to label the vacation a conflict of interest.

That’s because the Aga Khan, the island’s owner and a respected religious leader who presides over a network of charities, also runs a foundation that receives millions from the Canadian government.

The prime minister defended the trip this week, saying it was a private visit with an old family friend, which he argues is in line with conflict-of-interest codes.

Here’s what you need to know about the controversy, starting with the basics:

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/01/12/7-things-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-aga-khan-controversy-but-were-afraid-to-ask.html