Ending Violence Blog

On Human Rights Day, the Battered Women’s Support Services logo—a design of three dots, one boldly coloured in—stands as a powerful symbol of both crisis and hope.

The Lifetime Spiral of Gender Violence serves as a powerful illustration of how gender violence operates as a pervasive and systemic issue, deeply rooted in intersecting forms of oppression, such as patriarchy, racism, colonialism, ableism, classism, and heteronormativity.

On Dec 6, BWSS will observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, drawing attention to the ongoing femicide epidemic in Canada. This day serves as both a commemoration and a call to action, urging society and all levels of government to confront systemic gender-based violence that continues to claim the lives of women and girls across the country.

The language used to describe violence reflects how society understands its root causes and solutions. Terms like family violence, violence against women, male violence against women, and gender-based violence each carry distinct implications, strengths, and limitations.

Join us for a transformative hybrid workshop exploring Feminist Strategic Litigation, a powerful systems-change strategy that unites gender-based violence (GBV) advocates and legal professionals to improve outcomes for survivors.

Will you make a gift today to help us reach our $80,000 goal and ensure we can continue to be a lifeline for women living with violence?

Based on research conducted in 2023 with frontline workers and victims-survivors across BC, this report provides a crucial examination of protection orders and peace bonds, exposing systemic barriers that compromise victim-survivors’ safety and offering actionable solutions.

The housing continuum for victim-survivors of violence in British Columbia highlights the spectrum of housing options, ranging from the least stable to the most stable.

At BWSS, we recognize that ending gender-based violence begins with a safe home with a program designed to transform the impacts of intimate partner violence. That’s why BWSS is proud to introduce Synchronicity: Second-Stage Transition House Program—a new and critical program that offers survivors more than just a safe place to live.

Every night in BC, women fleeing violence are forced to sleep in their cars because there’s nowhere else to go. With shelters full and housing unaffordable, they face a devastating choice: return to an abusive partner or risk homelessness. This 16 Days of Activism and Economic Abuse Day, let’s talk about invisible homelessness because women deserve better. 

Together, we have been making waves for 45 years, so thank you for your solidarity with victims. Your quiet and generous support from behind the scenes is the spark that fuels our ability to end intimate partner violence for thousands of survivors’ lives. We are so grateful to be with you in this effort.

Why does ending gender-based violence begin with a safe home? Because for so many, the violence victim-survivors experience isn’t in public—it’s behind closed doors, where it should never occur: at home. A home is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place of comfort and security. But when that safety is absent, where do you go?