31 Things British Columbia Can Do Right Now to End Violence Against Women
27. Ensure women attending the courthouse are not forced to interact with their abuser
In BC, court processes and courtrooms are not safe or accessible for women victims of violence. When coming to court to testify, women are often forced to share waiting space with their abuser and it is not uncommon to find the accused bullying the victim in and around the courthouse. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that women do not have to interact with the alleged perpetrator, his family or his support network when arriving at, waiting for and leaving the courthouse or when accessing court-based victim services programs. Steps must also be taken to make it easier for women to testify via CCTV from a safe location.
Women in British Columbia have waited too long already. That is why we are offering 31 things that BC’s new Provincial Office of Domestic Violence (PODV) can push for right now to increase safety for women and to bring us closer than we have ever been to ending violence against women once and for all. We are calling for 31 social, economic and legal changes, none of which are unachievable in this province. Some would require very little financial investment, and each of them will save resources in the long term given the high costs of violence against women.
For more information:
Jane Doe Advocates – 31 Things British Columbia can do Right Now to End Violence Against Women
Follow The Violence Against Women in Relationship Act – 2. Audit for compliance with BC’s Violence Against Women in Relationship policy
3. Address the immediate financial and housing needs of women fleeing violence
5. Make addressing women’s inequality a core learning objective for all BC students
6. Add sexual violence by police to the mandate of the Independent Investigations Office
7. Address the feminization of poverty with a provincial anti-poverty plan
8. Push to add gender and sex to the hate crime provisions of Canada’sCriminal Code
9. Bring back regional coordination committees for women’s safety
10. Join the call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women
11. Do not let immigration status stand in the way of women’s safety
12. Value the expertise of women’s organizations by investing in their work
13. Make women’s safety the first priority in police response
15. Train and support specialized Crown Counsel for cases involving gender violence
17. Increase access to gender appropriate drug treatment and harm reduction services
18. Monitor and evaluate the implementation and interpretation of BC’s new Family Law Act
19. Hold offenders accountable for impacts on children of violence against women
20. Take action on women-blaming and women-shaming in all its forms
21. Do not force abused women in to parenting programs or counseling
22. Get perpetrators of violence against women in front of the courts quickly
24. Provide safe, affordable and sustainable housing options for women
25. Provide safe and accessible transportation options for low-income women
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