Ending Violence Blog
Via our award winning blog Battered Women’s Support Services provides education and advocacy as we work towards the elimination of violence.
Beyond Declarations: The Path Forward on Gender-Based Violence in British Columbia
In January 2025, Premier David Eby formally recognized gender-based violence (GBV) as a national epidemic. In his mandate letter to Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey, the Premier directed her to: “Work with partners to address the national epidemic of gender-based...
She Reported. Crown Said No. Why Prosecutorial Gatekeeping is Putting Survivors at Greater Risk Than Ever
She Reported. Crown Said No.Why Prosecutorial Gatekeeping is Putting Survivors at Greater Risk Than Ever In British Columbia, a quiet shift is happening—one that survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence feel viscerally, even as most of the public remains...
BWSS Responds to Independent Legal System Review: Violence Against Women Is Both Endemic and Epidemic
#DesignedWithSurvivors Campaign Calls for Urgent Implementation of Core Recommendations VANCOUVER, BC — Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) responds today to the release of The Independent Systemic Review of the Legal System’s Treatment of Intimate Partner and...
Statement from Battered Women’s Support Services on Ongoing Institutional Failures to Protect Indigenous Girls
The recent June 2025 disappearance of a 12-year-old Indigenous girl has once again exposed the deep and ongoing failures of police institutions to uphold their responsibilities to children—especially Indigenous girls—who are made vulnerable by systemic neglect and...
`Statement from Battered Women’s Support Services on the Identification of Nicole Bell and Ongoing Calls for Justice
`Statement from Battered Women’s Support Services on the Identification of Nicole Bell and Ongoing Calls for Justice The identification of Nicole Crystal Bell—seven years after she was reported missing from Sicamous at the age of 31—brings painful confirmation to her...
Automatism and the Crisis of Accountability in Sexual and Domestic Violence
Our Analysis The Barrett decision is not an isolated anomaly—it’s part of a long-standing and deeply embedded pattern in the criminal legal system that enables male violence through a range of escape routes. Automatism is just one of the latest tools in a legal...
Legal Acquittal in Barrett Case Highlights Failures of Criminal Justice System in Addressing Sexual Violence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2025 Legal Acquittal in Barrett Case Highlights Failures of Criminal Justice System in Addressing Sexual Violence Vancouver, B.C. — Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) is expressing deep concern over the recent acquittal of...
Public Safety Is Not Neutral: BWSS in Solidarity with W7 as Canada Hosts the G7
As the G7 summit unfolds in Kananaskis, Alberta this week—fifty years after its founding in the wake of global economic instability—BWSS stands in solidarity with our national feminist counterparts working through the Women7 (W7) engagement group. These advocates are...
What Would It Look Like If Public Safety Was Designed With Survivors in Mind?
What Would It Look Like If Public Safety Was Designed With Survivors in Mind? What would it look like if public safety was designed with survivors in mind? We ask this not as a slogan—but as a serious political question.Because the current conversation about “public...
“How Could This Happen…again?” BWSS Responds to Brutal Assault of Teen Girl in Vancouver and Calls for Urgent Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 30, 2025 "How Could This Happen…again?" BWSS Responds to Brutal Assault of Teen Girl in Vancouver and Calls for Urgent Action Vancouver, BC – A 14-year-old girl was brutally assaulted in a public bathroom in the middle of the day. She was...
Deepfakes, Digital Violence, and the War on Women’s Bodies
Deepfakes, Digital Violence, and the War on Women’s Bodies
What looks like a tech issue is, in fact, a human rights crisis. This is not about innovation—it’s about power, misogyny, and how old forms of violence are repackaged with new tools. From AI-generated deepfake porn to the erasure of survivor voices, we are witnessing the industrialization of image-based sexual violence. The harm is real, and the silence is strategic. At BWSS, we’ve been warning about this for years. We know the tech is evolving—but so is our resistance.
Honouring Mothers: The Reality of Violence in Motherhood
This Mother’s Day, honour the strength it takes to mother through violence. From listening without judgment to offering practical support, there are powerful ways to stand beside mothers navigating abuse. Your support helps provide safety, healing, and hope.