Whereas crime rates have dropped in the Province in recent years while rates of sexual assault have continued to rise; And whereas statistics show that Indigenous women and girls are between 12 and 16 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women and the Province is committed to implement United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples UNDRIP and has an obligation to respond to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry: Therefore be it resolved that the Province of British Columbia take action to provide dedicated, predictable and secure funds for emergency sexual assault response through the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and with the support of the Ministry of Health.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health, health authorities, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General PSSG, and the First Nations Health Authority are working to provide high-quality sexual assault services for survivors across British Columbia. In particular, PSSG recognizes the important work that community-based organizations do to support survivors in the aftermath of sexualized violence through the provision of trauma-informed, integrated and coordinated services. In March 2019, PSSG provided support for the operations of the Victoria Sexual Assault Centres Integrated Clinic with a one-time grant of 200,000 and awarded over 3.1 million to support community-led projects that address: domestic violence and sexual assault, including increasing capacity to support survivors and provide crisis support; human trafficking; sexual exploitation and vulnerable women in the sex trade; Indigenous healing and rebuilding; and enhancing capacity and improving services of child and youth advocacy centres. To better meet the ongoing demand for programs and services such as counselling, outreach and crisis support for women and children who experience domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes, Budget 2018 increased annual funding for victim service and violence against women programs by 5 million starting in 201819, which will be further increased by an additional 3 million in 202021. PSSG now provides over 37 million annually to support over 400 victim service and violence against women programs across the province. This includes over 1.29 million for victim service and violence against women programs that serve only Indigenous clients andor are delivered by Indigenous organizations. The Ministry of Health and health authorities continue to work to improve both the accessibility and quality of Sexual Assault Forensic Examination SAFE services in British Columbia. SAFE is medical legal processes that include the collection of biological material, recording of relevant patient history, and or documentation of injuries. The intended outcome of the SAFE work is improved access to, and quality of, SAFE services in British Columbia, so that any door is the right door for a victim of sexual assault who is seeking care or support.