Whereas children and youth who have been impacted by violence experience devastating and long-ranging mental health, physical health, social and educational impacts and the metoo campaign has recently highlighted gender-based violence as one of the most pervasive forms of violence, taking various forms e.g. cyber, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and economic; And whereas according to Statistics Canada, young women aged 15 to 17 report the highest rate of gender-based violence amongst all age groups 2,710 per 100,000, in 2008, and Indigenous, LGBTQ2, and disabled girls experience even higher rates of violence, noting that in 2017 the Government of Canada launched Its Time: Canadas Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, identifying three priority areas: prevention, engaging men and boys, and support for survivors; And whereas to support the strategy, the federal government has committed 100.9 million over five years, and an additional 20.7 million per year going forward; And whereas while the BC government recently announced 5 million to assist organizations working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, there is currently no cohesive provincial strategy in place; And whereas in order to combat gender-based violence among youth in BC and support healthy relationships, healthy families and healthy communities, a provincial strategy is needed; And whereas drawing on the expertise of all relevant ministries, and building on the resources and strategies identified in the federal strategy, a comprehensive provincial strategy can be a catalyst for positive cultural change: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Child and Family Development, the Ministry of Public Safety, and the Ministry of Mental Health to work together to develop a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Strategy for Youth.
Ministry of Education In February 2018, the Premier appointed MLA Mitzi Dean as the Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, reporting to the Minister of Finance, Carole James. The Parliamentary Secretarys mandate letter includes: - ensuring gender equity is reflected in government budgets, policies and programs; - co-ordinating cross-government action on gender issues, including gender violence, gender equality and womens economic empowerment; - tracking progress on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; - liaising with feminist and womens organizations; and - promoting gender equity and leadership at senior levels in the public and private sector. To this end, a Gender Equity Office has been set up in the Ministry of Finance to lead collaboration efforts across government, and build on a number of provincial initiatives that are underway to address the critical issue of gender-based violence among youth: - In 2012, the Ministry of Education launched the Expect Respect and A Safe Education erase strategy - a comprehensive initiative designed to foster school connectedness, and address bullying and worrisome behaviours in B.C. schools. Key components of the strategy include a province-wide training program for educators and community partners focused on violence and threat risk assessment including gender-based violence over 18,000 participants have been trained to date. - The Ministry of Educations new Physical and Health Education curriculum includes a focus on developing and maintaining healthy relationships; protecting self and others from potential abuse, exploitation and harm; and healthy sexual decision making, including respecting personal values and boundaries. Complementing the new curriculum, the Ministries of Education and Public Safety and Solicitor General partnered to develop Respectful Futures a prevention-focused resource that supports students in grades 6 to 12 in developing respectful relationships and includes facilitation guides for educators. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has also funded Violence is Preventable VIP - a free school-based program for students in grades K-12 designed to increase awareness of domestic violence and available supports. - The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General provides over 35 million in funding to support over 400 victim service and violence against women programs across the province, including PEACE Prevention, Education, Advocacy, Counselling and Empowerment programs. These programs provide counselling for children aged 3 to 18 who have witnessed abuse, threats, or violence in the home, and help children and their adult caregivers heal from related trauma and learn about healthy relationships. The Ministry also supports community-driven prevention initiatives, including projects that address violence against women and children, through the Civil Forfeiture Crime Prevention and Crime Remediation Grant Program. - The provincial Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, slated to be released in spring 2019, will take action to create a seamless system of care with a focus on improving access to treatment and recovery, and an emphasis on addressing the needs of children and youth through prevention and early intervention. The Strategy will be implemented with a strong multi-cultural and equity lens to ensure the needs of all British Columbians are met. Government is committed to working across ministries and collaboratively with partners including First Nations, Mtis and other Indigenous peoples to identify and address the impacts of gender-based violence.