Media
Domestic Violence During a Pandemic
Pamela, along with other violence against women experts, talks with Steve Paikin of TVO's The Agenda, about the impact of COVID-19 public health measures on women living with domestic violence.
Pamela Cross on Access to Legal Services
Pamela Cross talks about the duty to accommodate the communication accessibility requirements of people who have speech and language disabilities. This video is by Communication Disabilities Access Canada: http://www.cdacanada.com
'Why does he keep abusing?' Changing the question about intimate partner violence
CTV - W5, November 14, 2020Television
Lawyer and advocate Pamela Cross says, “a woman will leave an abusive relationship 12 times before she stays out for good. But I want to change the discourse from, ‘Why don't women leave?’ or ‘Why do women keep going back?' to ‘Why does he keep abusing?’”
Domestic violence on the rise amid coronavirus pandemic, say officials
CityNews, September 2, 2020Television
Pamela describes the shadow pandemic: increased domestic violence as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Her abusive ex won’t meet in public during the coronavirus pandemic. How can she pick up her kids?
Global News, April 13, 2020Television
URL: https://globalnews.ca/news/6788124/coronavirus-custody/
Access to family court and support matters, says Pamela Cross, legal director at Luke’s Place, particularly as the risks grow for those families for whom safety while trading custody is an ongoing concern.
Unfounded: Police dismiss 1 in 5 sexual assault cases as “baseless”
Ottawa Morning, CBC Radio, October 19, 2018Radio/Podcast
URL: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-100-ottawa-morning#episodes
Pamela was interviewed by Robyn Bresnaham on violence against women.
CBC RadioRadio/Podcast
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/metro-morning/segment/15540445
Pamela Cross is interviewed by CBC’s Metro Morning on the conviction of comedian Bill Cosby of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Rabble, February 21, 2016Radio/Podcast
Pamela Cross speaks with Redeye host Lorraine Chisholm. From the website: "The high-profile trial of Jian Ghomeshi has brought a storm of reaction over the cross-examination and testimony of witnesses who brought the complaints forward. We speak with feminist lawyer Pamela Cross. She's the legal director of Luke's Place Support and Resource Centre in Durham Region in Ontario."
Ontario’s family law takes a step forward in protecting the vulnerable
Toronto Star, November 26, 2020Print
Op ed on Bill 207, which significantly changes how post-separation parenting decisions will be made in Ontario. This is a step in the right direction for survivors of family violence.
“Vagueness is a gift to an abuser”: What the Tories got right — and wrong — on Bill 207
TVO Politics, November 11, 2020Print
Experts and advocates say that the bill is a positive step forward. But they’re worried it doesn’t go far enough to keep children and their mothers safe
Why do Canadian women keep dying at the hands of their partners?
Refinery, July 30, 2020Print
URL: https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/07/9828258/canada-women-killed-domestic-homicide
“If the police don’t take [domestic violence] offences seriously and lay the proper charges, if the criminal courts don’t hand out appropriate outcomes, if family courts continue to give [suspected or even confirmed abusers] extensive time with their kids, then of course the behaviour continues and escalates,”
Economic abuse: Hard to spot, Harder to recover from,
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, June 30, 2020Print
URL: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/economic-abuse-hard-spot-harder-recover
Economic abuse includes controlling, exploiting and sabotaging not only a survivor’s income and finances, but also their access to transportation, education and employment, food, shelter or other non-financial assets.
How to help someone leave an abusive relationship during COVID
Chatelaine, May 8, 2020Print
URL: https://www.chatelaine.com/living/leave-abusive-relationship-covid/
Why there's never been a better time to advocate for systemic change
Canada’s domestic violence problem was already critical. COVID-19 is making it worse
Chatelaine, April 17, 2020Print
URL: https://www.chatelaine.com/opinion/domestic-violence-covid-19-worse/
Current calls for us all to stay home create prime conditions for abuse, but gender-based violence was already an emergency.
GTA domestic violence groups brace for ‘perfect storm’ as abused women stay home amid COVID-19
The Toronto Star, March 24, 2020Print
Social distancing measures like school closures or workplaces encouraging or requiring people to work from home risk creating “invisible victims” out of women now “in a situation where the partner has relatively unlimited access to them in the private location of the home,” Cross said.
Women fleeing abuse affected by COVID-19
The Lawyer's Daily, March 18, 2020Print
URL: https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/18219/women-fleeing-abuse-affected-by-covid-19
With increased social isolation, a woman is more vulnerable to her partner’s emotional and physical abuse. Forced round-the-clock contact with the abuser because both people are working from home increases opportunities for physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
Action, not silence, on violence against women in Ontario
The Toronto Star, October 17, 2018Print
Op-ed with Farrah Khan on their difficult decision to resign as co-chairs of the provincial government’s Roundtable on Violence Against Women.
Enough mourning. We need action to end the killing of women
The Toronto Star, March 18, 2018Print
Op-Ed with Marlene Ham and Farrah Khan on the shocking number of women killed by their partners and former partners in the first months of 2018
Co-parenting after you've left an abusive relationship
Today's Parent, January 23, 2018Print
URL: https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/co-parenting-after-youve-left-an-abusive-relationship/
“What we see a lot of the time is that parents who were not that involved before separation suddenly appear in the family court process and want to be the parent of the century,” she says. Cross points out that many abusers successfully gain shared custody or access to the kids, possibly because they have more money for legal fees or come across better in court (they aren’t suffering the lingering effects of trauma after all).
The Renfrew County Murders Are Not An Anomaly
Chatelaine, November 27, 2017Print
URL: http://www.chatelaine.com/living/features-living/basil-borutski-murders-renfrew-county/
Can the Ghomeshi trial lead to change?
Paralegals in family courts not the solution
The Toronto Star, March 19, 2017Print
Opinion piece with Amanda Dale: "Recommendation that paralegals be permitted to provide legal services with respect to custody and access reveals a weak understanding of the complexities on the ground."
When men kill their partners, warning signs often missed
The Toronto Star, January 9, 2017Print
Remembering three women
The Daily Observer, September 22, 2016Print
URL: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2016/09/22/remembering-three-women
“'We’re blamed if we stay, and we’re blamed if we go,' she said, 'but there is no bad victim of male violence.'”
No right to a discriminatory defence
The Toronto Star, February 8, 2016Print
URL: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/02/08/no-right-to-a-discriminatory-defence.html
Opinion piece with Joanna Birenbaum and Amanda Dale: "An honest conversation is needed about how to protect full answer and defence without resorting to misogynist standards."
Judgment in Mandi Gray sexual assault case 'glorious,' but change to legal system will be slow: advocates
CBC, July 23, 2016Print
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mandi-gray-verdict-impact-1.3692191
From the article: "Pamela Cross, legal director of Luke's Place, a non-profit organization for women navigating the legal system, said Zuker had 'a profound and almost astonishing understanding of the issue of sexual violence, of women's lack of autonomy in these situations.'"
How are witnesses prepped in sexual assault trials?
Chatelaine, March 24, 2016Print
URL: http://www.chatelaine.com/news/how-are-witnesses-prepped-in-sexual-assault-trials/
Marie Henein’s cross-examination in the Jian Ghomeshi trial seemed to catch the Crown — and the complainants — by surprise. How come?
Can the Ghomeshi trial lead to change?
Globe and Mail, March 24, 2016Print
URL: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/can-the-ghomeshi-trial-lead-to-change/article29388229/?
Opinion piece with Amanda Dale: "Thursday’s verdict of not guilty on all charges in the the trial of Jian Ghomeshi was no surprise to anyone. But in reaching acquittal, Justice William Horkins waded further into the controversies outside the courtroom than strictly necessary for his legal finding."
Judgment in Mandi Gray sexual assault case 'glorious,' but change to legal system will be slow: advocates
CBC News, July 23, 2016, July 23, 2016Online
URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mandi-gray-verdict-impact-1.3692191
Coming forward in court: Women break their silence of sexual assault
Global News, February 23, 2015Online
“'I think sexual assault is taken very lightly generally in Canada,' says lawyer Pamela Cross, who has been working with victims of sexual assault for twenty years."
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: The Importance of Family Violence Screening Tools for Family Law Practitioners
by Pamela C. Cross, Sara Crann, Kate Mazzuocco, Mavis Morton
Published by Department of Justice, Canada
February 1, 2018
This research report recommends the adoption of universal family violence (FV) screening by family law practitioners. To support this recommendation, it begins by presenting a definition of FV, then examines common family dynamics where violence is present and the impact of trauma on a family court litigant. Exploration of the relationship between FV and family court and a discussion of the importance of screening in the family law context further supports the recommendations.
URL: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/can-peut/index.html
When Shared Parenting and the Safety of Women and Children Collide
by Pamela Cross
Biography
Pamela Cross is a feminist lawyer; a well-known and respected expert on violence against women and the law for her work as a researcher, writer, educator and trainer. She works with women’s equality and violence against women organizations across Ontario.
One of her key roles is as the Legal Director of Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre in Durham Region, where she leads the organization’s provincial projects, including research, training and advocacy.
With Luke’s Place, Cross has written a number of papers on the topic of violence against women and family law. With funding from the federal Department of Justice, she led a team that conducted research into the use of family violence screening tools for family law practitioners. The final report, entitled “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: The importance of family violence screening tools for family law practitioners”, includes a draft screening tool.
In her role as Luke’s Place Legal Director, Cross is the lead trainer for Ontario’s Family Court Support Workers, providing both in-person and online training and support for approximately 100 frontline workers who assist abused women in family court. She recently completed the delivery of domestic violence awareness training to approximately 2,500 Legal Aid Ontario staff, community clinics and lawyers across the province. She was also Co-Chair of the Violence Against Women Roundtable, which provided guidance to the provincial government on this issue.
Cross also works with a number of other provincial and national women’s organizations, including the National Association of Women and the Law and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
She is a frequent speaker at provincial, national and international conferences. She is also a regular commentator on violence against women and the law for print media, radio and television across Canada.
Recognition/Reconnaissance
CORRY AWARD, QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY LAW, 2020 | Professional
The J.A. (Alec) Corry Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to Queen's Law alumni for excelling in a career outside the traditional practice of law. Pamela, described as "a warrior for victims of domestic violence", was the 2020 recipient.
GUTHRIE AWARD, THE LAW FOUNDATION OF ONTARIO, 2020 | Professional
The Guthrie Award recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to access to justice. “Pamela’s work is changing the way the legal system approaches violence against women,” said Linda Rothstein, the Foundation’s Board Chair. “From many angles – representing clients, developing pro bono services and public legal education for women, training lawyers and judges, informing policymakers, and spearheading cutting-edge research – Pamela is a critical connector who brings people and sectors together to better understand and respond to the unique and urgent legal needs of women who’ve been abused.”
LAURA LEGGE AWARD, LAW SOCIETY OF ONTARIO, 2019 | Professional
The Laura Legge Award recognizes women lawyers from Ontario who have exemplified leadership within the profession. The Law Society states the following: "Called to the Bar in 1994, Pamela Cross has demonstrated extraordinary achievement and leadership in the advancement of women’s equality in Canada. For over 25 years, Ms. Cross has worked tirelessly as a lawyer, researcher, teacher, writer, public speaker, mentor, trainer and activist, to explain and challenge how the law addresses individualized and systemic violence against girls and women, especially in the family law context."
YWCA TORONTO WOMAN OF DISTINCTION, 2006 | Professional
In particular, work on a national level for custody law reform, leadership role in the No Religious Arbitration Coalition in Ontario, work providing legal information to isolated and marginalized women and mentorship of young women law students, “whose moral compasses have been set working under her tutelage.”
LINDA CLIPPINGDALE AWARD, 2001 | Professional
One award made annually by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women for “her commitment to feminist change, by her spirit, energy and good judgment.” The Institute commented particularly on Pamela's mentoring role for young women.
MINISTRY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL VICTIM SERVICES AWARD OF DISTINCTION, 2015 | Professional
For exceptional achievements in supporting survivors of male violence, in particular, work supporting women who have been subjected to domestic violence