Union’s Anti-violence Ad Shocks, Stirs Controversy
filed in Canadian Current Events, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Violence on Nov.04, 2008
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union today placed this billboard of a battered woman outside Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In a press release, OPSEU states that “OPSEU is sending the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health a message they can’t ignore — starting this week outdoor advertising will be placed directly across from the front entrance of the hospital urging them to get on with violence prevention. In September, 23 assaults took place at the Centre, renewing calls for a long promised violence prevention program.”
Though few are against reducing violence, already the sensationalist ad has upset people and stirred up controversy. Is this going to help?
One problem is that the ad emphasizes the need for CAMH to “protect its staff”. But by focusing strictly on the victimizations of their own members, OPSEU’s efforts ignore broader problems and could ultimately create even worse conditions at CAMH. After all, patients themselves have been arguably even more frequent victims of violence perpetrated by OPSEU members/CAMH staff (e.g. see the recent inquest into the death of ex-patient Jeffrey James), and the frequent use of restraints and psychiatric treatments against people’s wills isn’t exactly “non-violent intervention”, either.
More updates when CAMH releases a statement…
November 5th, 2008 on 12:00 pm
For an update, follow link above.
November 12th, 2008 on 3:13 pm
Click link above for an update.
November 29th, 2008 on 11:45 am
What truly amazes me is that I have had a lot told to me about boundaries, by therapist, counselors, doctors, etc. and yet Camh has to be the worst offender of violating people going for help boundaries. I know this on a personal level and just the recent horrible, examples, so clearly prove it. Both inpatients at the center had their boundaries violated and both resulted in their deaths. Isn’t ironic that the very so called healers and leaders of mental health are the ones doing the very harm they are claiming to help people with. It is disgusting and I want to know what the government intends to do about it. I will not stop my campaign to expose such atrocities.
I blame CAMH for helping to destroy the mental health system not improve or really help people. They call themselves leaders in mental health that is about the most ridiculous rubbish that I have ever in my life had to be subjected to.
My observation and I am only a simple ordinary citizen , not a high , high educated person, is that if they keep on as they are , I am afraid of the future.
There is something so wrong that I do not even know if there is any possiblity to fix the disaster. People are responsible for doing the bad, so that is where the blame lies. What is just so awful, it is people who are getting paid a very, very descent pay, and generous , generous benefits that are the ones responsible, by their actions for destroying a system.