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CBC
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Independent provincial review warns gender-based violence 'normalized,' outlines recommendations
A doctor appointed to independently review B.C.'s justice system warns that gender-based violence has been "normalized," as a new report and update to her work outlines recommendations to address the system's failings. Dr. Kim Stanton, who has a background in practising Aboriginal and constitutional law and who has worked to address gender-based violence throughout her career, was appointed in 2024 to conduct an independent, systemic review of the treatment of sexual and intimate partner violence in the province's legal system, and to propose recommendations to address them. "Gender-based violence has been normalized somehow, but it shouldn't be," Stanton said during a Tuesday morning news conference. "It's pervasive, but it's preventable." Independent Systemic Review: The British Columbia Legal System's Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence identifies barriers to change, and makes more than two-dozen systemic and legal recommendations. B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said it will take time to review the report thoroughly, but that the government will "immediately" look into what can be done internally to improve how the legal system treats survivors. "I know that this work will take some time, but we are not starting from scratch," Sharma said during the news conference. The government will invest in culturally safe victim services to improve training within institutions, and also work on proposed changes to the family law act "including components specifically focused on intimate partner and family violence," she said. 'Repeated recommendations' that do not make a difference According to the report, 94 per cent of sexual assaults and 80 per cent of intimate partner violence are not reported to police. Stanton said she looked into why previous recommendations have been repeated without a marked improvement in access to justice for survivors and found institutional barriers such as the operation of silos within government, the lack of accountability within institutions and a focus on the cost of change while underestimating the cost of inaction. "Silos are created when different ministries, branches, departments, units, or agencies focus on their own mandates without effectively sharing information or collaborating with the other entities that share common goals or address related issues," the report stated. This has led to a lack of accountability, with "no identified leader with the authority to ensure that what needs to be done gets done." It goes on to say that when it comes to addressing sexual and intimate partner violence, while there are many programs and initiatives underway in the province, "the whole system would be improved for survivors if there was an acknowledged locus of leadership to ensure that the disparate parts of the system work together to increase survivors' safety and their ability to access justice." Stanton proposed nine steps to "disrupt the cycle of making repeated recommendations that do not make an appreciable difference to survivors," adding that changes to the legal system will be useful and sustainable only if systemic changes are made. Among the recommendations is for the B.C. government to declare gender-based violence a provincial epidemic; to create an internal government accountability mechanism; and to appoint an independent gender-based violence commissioner. In addition, it recommends providing stable funding for the hiring, training and retention of support workers, and for survivors navigating the legal system. The report also recommends the government support accredited services for men who use violence, as well as services to reduce and prevent violence; and to strengthen education and training of institutions — including government agencies, police, and the courts — on gender-based violence, unconscious bias, and trauma-informed practice. Prevention includes more than public education about the need for affirmative, ongoing consent, but also "education that challenges the longstanding forms of oppression that perpetuate the normalization and devaluing of gender-based violence, such as misogyny, colonialism, racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic discrimination." 'Confirms what known' In a statement, the Battered Women's Support Services said they welcome the review and the clarity it brings. "The report confirms what survivors, frontline workers, and feminist organizations have known for decades: the legal system continues to fail those experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence — not because of a lack of law or policy, but because of inconsistent implementation, lack of accountability, and systems not designed with survivors at the centre." The organization added that while they support the majority of the report, they see some aspects of the issue differently, namely the use of restorative justice in intimate partner and sexual violence. "These forms of violence are rooted in coercive control, fear, and structural power imbalances — conditions that are not adequately addressed in many restorative models," they said in the statement. "Justice for survivors cannot be built on reconciliation alone. It must be rooted in safety, accountability, and structural change." The report notes that to end gender-based violence, action needs to be taken "right now." "The courage of survivors and the lives of those who did not survive must propel us into action," it stated. During the Tuesday conference, Sharma said some of the immediate steps they're taking internally include creating and distributing "user-friendly guides for obtaining protection orders," and working with the courts and people with lived experiences "to find ways to learn from and mirror protections in criminal law, to design similar protections in civil and family law."
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Independent review calls for B.C. to declare gender-based violence an epidemic
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma responds to questions outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Monday November 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck An independent review of the treatment of victims of sexual and intimate partner violence in the British Columbia legal system calls the government to declare gender-based violence an epidemic. The review says most survivors never report violence to police, and those who do experience more barriers to justice. Statistics show 80 per cent of those who have experienced intimate partner violence and 94 per cent of sexual assault survivors do not report the crime, while more than one third of women over the age of 15 in B.C. say they have experienced sexual violence. Attorney General Niki Sharma says some victims 'don't feel safe coming forward, they fear not being believed, retraumatized or dismissed,' which is why the government appointed Kim Stanton in May 2024 to conduct the review. Stanton says her review found numerous barriers for action, and identifies nine recommendations for the best way to help survivors, including an increased focus on prevention, reform in the courts and legal aid funding for family law services. She says that change starts with ensuring provincewide, age appropriate consent education, supplying additional support services for men who use violence before they interact with the criminal justice system, and ensuring police and legal professionals have unconscious bias training. 'My work is done on the review, but now it's over to the attorney general and her colleagues to take up the road map that I've given them and move forward,' Stanton told a news conference Tuesday. This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published June 24, 2025.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Study shows 110k people affected by domestic abuse on Merseyside
Demand for domestic abuse services on Merseyside has outstripped supply, with more than 117,000 people in the region affected, a report has found. The study, commissioned by Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, highlighted an "urgent" need for more stable, long-term funding in the region to support 10,000 people have received support each year from more than 20 different organisations, many of which are "operating beyond safe capacity", the report found. Spurrell said these services were "being held together by the dedication of overstretched professionals", adding there was "no quick fix" to the problem. The report produced by national charity Women's Aid and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) found 117,000 people, predominantly women and children , experienced domestic abuse in Merseyside each study was "a sobering but vital insight into the pressures facing our domestic abuse services", Spurrell said. 'Key gaps' The study found funding problems leading to high staff turnover at organisations which help victims, which resulted in many missing out on having a single caseworker with whom they could build were also long waiting lists, particularly for therapeutic services and gaps in provision for children and young people, and for marginalised groups and disabled people were also Aid's CEO, Farah Nazeer, said there was "an urgent need for a systematic, coordinated response that addresses key gaps in provision for children and young people as victim-survivors, Black and minoritised women and other marginalised groups".Senior Researcher for the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Violence Prevention Nadia Butler said the review was a "foundation for enhancing and sustaining adequate commissioning of domestic abuse services across Merseyside".Among the 20 recommendations were improved oversight and coordination of domestic abuse funding, strengthened multi-agency working, and better use of said: "While there are no quick fixes or easy solutions, this report gives us a strong foundation to work from." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
RNZ News
17-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Less than third of govt's redress package going to survivors
Less than a third of the government's much celebrated $774 million abuse in care redress package will end up in the pockets of survivors. Timothy Brown has more. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
CNA
29-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Survivors of online harms not getting the support they need: SG Her Empowerment survey
A new study by non-profit organisation SG Her Empowerment (SHE), which surveyed 25 survivors of online harms, has found that they are not getting the support they need. The survivors cited complex legal systems, delayed platform responses and societal stigma. SHE is calling for a system that allows survivors to report to a central agency, and for harmful content to be taken down quickly. Kate Low reports.
