31 Things British Columbia Can Do Right Now to End Violence Against Women
29. Value caregiving working- invest in childcare and eldercare
In 2002, 77% of family caregivers in Canada were women. Women who take on the majority of unpaid work that is required to care for young children and aging parents often make sacrifices in their careers in an effort to balance work and home life. Women who do not have financial security find it much harder to leave an abusive relationship and to stay out. To leave abuse, women need access to affordable childcare, or adequate financial support to care for their families themselves.
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
4. Enhance access to justice for women – invest in family, immigration and poverty law legal aid services
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
14. Create binding guidelines on the use of psychological testing and labeling in child custody and child protection cases
15. Train and support specialized Crown Counsel for cases involving gender violence
16. Ensure women have access to interpretation in interaction with police, courts, social workers and other decision-makers
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
23. Work with the anti-violence sector to develop training for all first responders and decision-makers
24. Provide safe, affordable and sustainable housing options for women
25. Provide safe and accessible transportation options for low-income women
26. Fully implement best practice standards for child protection workers working with women experiencing violence
27. Ensure women attending the courthouse are not forced to interact with their abuser
28. Ensure consistent access for women to victim-service workers and supports
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