In June of 1995 the Latin
American Coalition to End violence against Women and Children (LACEV)
organized "The 1st Latin American and Caribbean Women’s
Encounter" and later on "De Mujeres" Post-Encounter
in January of 1996. Both events brought together approximately 650
women and 150 children from across Ontario, to participate in a
wide array of workshops, forums, group discussions, panels, artistic
exhibitions, cultural presentations and Press conferences.
Along with the strong enthusiasm and wealth of information and experiences
exchanged by many women and their children, the Encuentros left
behind a report that outlines several solid recommendations to further
advance the status of Latin American women in our community. Since
then, LACEV’s members were challenged to fulfill those recommendations,
with the support and assistance of several partner agencies and
women’s organizations at the local, provincial and international
levels. We held several consultations in small and large groups
of women and service providers in the community. Such consultations
enabled us to assess the feasibility of implementing one of the
most important recommendations of the Encuentros – our "dream
organization" – an organization that includes, widely
represents, supports and advances Latin American women in Ontario.
It is deemed essential for Latin American women to come together
in a broader organization that will tap into our own vast human
resources and rich potential. We, therefore, evolved into an organization
that makes use of the quality professional expertise and the immense
wealth of talents, skills and energy already available in our
community, to support women who are marginalized and who have
difficulty in accessing culturally appropriate services and information.
MUJER aims to create bridges amongst the incredible diversity
that is present in our community, be it generational, ethnic,
racial, cultural, social or economical.
For more information click here. (PDF format)
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