What if preventing sexual and gender-based violence meant addressing not only individual acts of harm, but also the systems that make that harm possible?
Rooted in Practice is a comprehensive guide developed by the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre to support service providers, advocates, educators, students, and community members in deepening their understanding of anti-oppressive practice. Drawing on research, critical reflection, and community learning, this resource explores how systems of power, including colonialism, patriarchy, racism, ableism, and other forms of oppression, shape experiences of violence and influence how we respond to it.
Rather than offering a checklist or one-size-fits-all approach, this guide invites readers into a process of learning, unlearning, and reflection. It bridges theory and practice with accessible language, practical examples, reflection questions, and strategies for embedding anti-oppressive principles into direct service, organizational culture, advocacy, and systems change.
Whether you are new to anti-oppressive practice or looking to strengthen your existing work, Rooted in Practice offers a thoughtful starting point for reimagining healing, challenging inequitable systems, and building more just, compassionate, and transformative responses to sexual and gender-based violence.
We invite you to explore the resource at your own pace, pause for reflection, and consider how its ideas can inform your work, your relationships, and your community.
This project was made possible with funding generously provided by Women and Gender Equality Canada.
