Prevention Changes What Comes Next
From April 19–25, Prevention of Violence Against Women Week focuses attention on the conditions that prevent violence before crisis occurs, in families, in homes, communities, and systems across British Columbia and Canada.
Join us for the
Pursuit of Justice Annual Forum
Hosted by the Justice Centre at BWSS as part of Prevention of Violence Against Women Week, this national webinar brings together legal advocates, frontline workers, and community leaders to examine how violence against women is handled across systems.
Justice is not automatic. It is built over time, and often without survivors at the centre.
Women enter legal processes at a point where risk is already known. Court is expected to provide safety and resolution. Many continue to manage risk while cases move forward through leaving, staying, hearings, contact arrangements, and decisions that shape what happens next.
This forum will explore:
- how gender-based violence is understood in legal settings
- how risk is identified and managed across systems
- how legal processes shape safety over time
- what is required to strengthen response and accountability
Sessions include:
- developments in feminist litigation and case law
- analysis of femicide and risk
- safety planning and lethality assessment in practice
- immigration-related vulnerabilities and legal protections
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Online webinar
Registration: Free
Treena's Story
A co-worker told her about Battered Women’s Support Services, and she called our crisis line. She was assigned a support worker and a legal advocate.
A legal advocate helped her apply for a family law protection order so she and her children could have clear boundaries and some measure of safety.
The order was meant to protect Treena and her children. However, her former husband ignored it. He violated the rules around child exchanges. He continued appearing in places connected to Treena. When she contacted the police, she was told that officers did not believe they should enforce the order because it was a family law matter, and he had not done anything beyond showing up.
Treena knew the danger was real. Our team knew it as well.