Shelternet links to women's shelters across Canada
New Web site raises issues
of Internet safety
Monday August 19, 2002 Ingrid Harder
Is it safe for you to be on the Internet? If you are an abused woman, seeking help or information about shelters, it may not be, warns Shelternet, a new Web site launched this month.

The main feature of the site is a clickable map of Canada with contact information for local shelters. The safety warning is the first thing readers encounter on the site. It instructs women to assess their Internet safety and even consider logging in from a public place, where their activities can't be tracked.

"[Safety] was part of our principles right from the very beginning," says Jan Richardson, managing director of Shelternet. "Our role is to work towards women's safety. It includes how we can ensure that women are safe even when they're using the Web."

The site also raises issues for the shelters themselves, says Lynn Zimmer, executive director of the YWCA of Peterborough, Haliburton and Victoria. The YWCA runs two shelters in Peterborough. "As more and more women get into contacting the shelter via the Internet, it raises some interesting questions for shelters, because the shelters don't know who they're talking to," says Lynn. She says the warning to readers about Internet safety is important. "That kind of thing really demonstrates that the people who set up the Web site understand the kind of risks people are taking by doing this." She says that now, shelters will need to tackle the issue of how they respond to calls for help via e-mail. "The primary thing for us is to move to a telephone conversation as soon as possible."

Jan agrees there some "serious questions related to online support, including: assessment, liability, protocols, what kind of training do staff need." That's one of the reasons Shelternet has secured funding for a research project on online counselling. The action oriented research project, starting this fall, will answer some of the questions about these dilemmas and provide a template that shelters can use if they decide they want to go down that route, says Jan.

Now that the development phase of the site is complete, the next phase is to translate the site into French, and eventually into 75 languages. Jan says the group also plans to adapt the site for people with different disabilities.

"It's the first site of its kind in the world," says Jan. Her experience with women's shelters includes 17 years as executive director of Women's Community House in London. "During the time I was there, I was lamenting with my colleagues that we didn't have Web sites," she recalls. "We thought, why don't we think globally, and do something that will help us out locally." And Shelternet was born. "It was one of those projects that just had the right combination of people and ideas."

As well as contact information for local shelters, Shelternet is also able to provide, through sponsorship by TELUS, no-charge hosting of a Web site and a design-your-own-site template for every shelter in Canada, says Jan.

The site was launched on August 13 in Toronto, courtesy of the Fairmount Royal York Hotel. "People said it was the most exciting launch that they'd been to in a decade," reports Jan. "It was just a wonderful thing." Deputy Minister of Citizenship, Bill Allen spoke at the gathering, as well as Doreen Armstrong, executive director of the Orangeville women's shelter. Singer/songwriter Erin Benjamin also performed, breaking up the speeches with her energy and passionate voice, says Jan.

Shelternet sponsors include TELUS, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fairmont Royal York, Canadian Women's Foundation, Canadian Business and Advanced Presentation Products Inc.

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