WOMEN and children facing domestic violence will have access to new culturally appropriate supports to help get them out of harm’s way and rebuild their lives as the province expands supports in several B.C. cities.
Additional actions will help survivors of exploitation seek justice.
Approximately one in every four women in British Columbia report surviving physical or sexual assault at the hands of an intimate partner. That rate is higher for Indigenous women and people who are gender diverse.
“Alongside community service providers and partners, B.C.’s gender-based violence action plan is taking action on gendered violence through prevention and by strengthening services that people rely on,” said Kelli Paddon, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, on Thursday. “For those who face intimate partner violence and exploitation, this investment helps survivors rebuild their lives and find safety.”
Through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Province is funding the following, which will help service providers care for more survivors, spend more time addressing the complex needs of survivors, and in Kelowna, expand the care they offer to include culturally based services:
* $100,000 each to the domestic violence units at Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry (Kelowna and surrounding area), Archway Community Services (Abbotsford) and Surrey Women’s Centre; and
* $150,000 to the counter-exploitation unit of the Family Services of Greater Vancouver.
“Specialized teams like the domestic violence units and counter-exploitation unit play a pivotal role in dismantling the vicious cycle of family violence, safeguarding children and empowering survivors of intimate partner violence,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “By addressing the root causes and supporting both survivors and perpetuators, we pave the way for a safer community. This new support will help our community partners with the important work of ensuring culturally appropriate care is available for people when they need it most.”
Domestic violence units are dedicated teams involving community-based victim service workers, child protection workers and police officers focused on co-ordinated responses when the risk of violence is high. These units aim to increase safety and prevent future violence.
The counter-exploitation unit is a partnership between victim service workers and detectives that supports victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking from when they realize that they have been exploited, through the investigation process and, ultimately, the criminal-justice system.
“We cannot achieve lasting gender equality if women and girls continue to suffer from gender-based violence,” said Marci Ien, federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth. “These federal investments, alongside the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, are about keeping people safe and making sure that we are addressing the root causes of gender-based violence. Every day, our collaboration with these organizations is moving us closer toward a safer Canada for everyone.”
Support for domestic violence units and the counter-exploitation unit furthers the ongoing work under Safe and Supported, B.C.’s gender-based violence action plan.
BACKGROUNDER
Facts about violence against women
According to Statistics Canada, 29.8% of women in British Columbia report experiencing physical or sexual assault from an intimate partner since the age of 15.
* Indigenous women and people who are gender diverse experience violence at higher rates.
* According to research by University of British Columbia and Kelowna Women’s Shelter, as many as 92% of women domestic-violence survivors experience signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury.
* Compared to sports concussions, for every NHL player who acquires a brain injury, approximately 5,500 women in Canada suffer from the same injury.
* The majority of people who experience domestic violence (80%) do not report to the police.
* According to Statistics Canada, of all the gender-related homicides of women in Canada between 2011 and 2021, two-thirds (66%) were perpetrated by an intimate partner.
* According to Statistics Canada, nearly 4,000 incidents of human trafficking were reported by police from 2012-22.
