OTTAWA, April 12, 2019 /CNW/ - Ending gender-based violence is crucial if we are serious about giving everyone the same opportunities to join and grow Canada's middle class. We all benefit when people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions are safe and free to live their lives to the fullest.
Today, Randy Boissonnault, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 Issues, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, and the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, announced federal funding to support LGBTQ2 individuals, particularly youth, who are survivors of gender-based violence.
OUTSaskatoon will receive more than $1.1 million from the Government of Canada for two projects. The Department for Women and Gender Equality will provide close to $550,000 over five years to support the organization's project entitled Transformative Care for LGBTQ2S Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: A Prevention and Intervention Action Plan. The project will develop and test the provision of trauma- and survivor-informed, feminist, intersectional, and anti-oppressive services to LGBTQ2 adult and youth individuals and gender non-conforming survivors of gender-based violence.
The Public Health Agency of Canada will also provide more than $560,000 over five years to OUTSaskatoon for its project entitled Understanding Gender-Based Violence in LGBTQ2S Communities. This project seeks to improve the quality of care for LGBTQ2 people in Saskatchewan and throughout the Prairies by training and mentoring educators, and health and social service providers on how to recognize, prevent and respond safely to gender-based violence as it impacts LGBTQ2 people of all ages and backgrounds.
Last year, Minister Monsef announced more than $50 million in funding for nearly 60 projects in communities across the country, including in two in Saskatchewan, to support survivors of gender-based violence and their families. The Public Health Agency of Canada is investing more than $40 million over five years under Preventing Gender-Based Violence – The Health Perspective Program. The program supports Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
Quotes
"With this investment, we are funding organizations like OUTSaskatoon which provide essential services to support LGBTQ2 survivors and their families. This funding envelope was developed in partnership with leaders from the women's sector, whose advice continues to inform Canada's first Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. Leaders asked for more dollars over a longer period of time to meet the ever growing demand for their services, a simplified application process, and resources to help provide supports for the most underserved and marginalized survivors of gender-based violence. Our government listened. Gender-based violence must not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with survivors, community partners, the private sector and other orders of government to end GBV in all of its forms."
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality
"Gender-based violence can happen to anyone, but statistics show that some groups are more at risk than others, including people who identify as LGBTQ2. The Government of Canada continues to work with partners across Canada to address the root causes of gender-based violence while supporting survivors of violence in ways that are sensitive to their needs and relevant to their experiences. I am proud to announce funding for these projects, which will build supports for LGBTQ2 communities in Saskatchewan and throughout the Prairies to help ensure individuals' right to live a life free of violence."
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Health
"None of us are free from violence and discrimination until we all are. Funding these projects from OUTSaskatoon will support direct services to LGBTQ2 and gender non-confirming Canadians who are survivors of gender-based violence. This partnership underscores our government's staunch commitment to women's rights and LGBTQ2 equality."
Randy Boissonnault, M.P.
Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 Issues
"We are pleased to receive funding from the Government of Canada to better respond to gender-based violence within and surrounding the LGBTQ2S community. This support will provide the continuity needed to assist survivors, improve the quality of care and programming for LGBTQ2S adults and youth, and in turn to strengthen our communities."
Rachel Loewen Walker, Executive Director
OUTSaskatoon
Quick Facts
- In June 2017, the Department for Women and Gender Equality (formerly Status of Women Canada) announced the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
- To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $200 million across government to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors and their families, and create more responsive legal and justice systems.
- The Promising practices to support survivors and their families call for concepts is the largest amount of funding ever announced for programming to specifically support diverse groups of gender-based violence survivors and their families.
- Some populations are more likely to experience violence and may face unique barriers and challenges that put them at particular risk (Statistics Canada, 2015).
- Violence against women, girls and LGBTQ2 people is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations around the world. Globally, it is estimated that one in three women experiences intimate partner violence in her lifetime.
- In Canada, nearly 50% of people aged 15 and older who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual report having experienced physical or sexual abuse, compared to 30% of heterosexual people.
- Gender-based violence can have lifelong impacts on an individual's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Additionally, the effects can be serious and costly. Annually, the economic impact of intimate partner violence and sexual assault is estimated to be over $12 billion.
- Budget 2019 proposes to invest $20 million over two years in capacity building and community-level work of Canadian LGBTQ2 service organizations, to help address the unique needs and persisting disparities among LGBTQ2 individuals.
- In June 2019, Canada will host the Women Deliver conference, the world's largest conference on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls and women.
Related Product
Backgrounder
Department for Women and Gender Equality's Gender-Based Violence Program
Following the June 2017 announcement of It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the Department for Women and Gender Equality (formerly Status of Women Canada) launched the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program in January 2018.
The GBV Program complements the department's Women's Program, and helps organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices to address gaps in supports for survivors and their families.
While violence affects people of all genders, ages, cultures, ethnicities, geographic locations, and socio-economic backgrounds, some populations are more at-risk and face additional barriers to accessing services. The GBV Program responds to this need by providing funding to eligible organizations at the local, regional and national levels for projects that address gaps in supports for specific groups of survivors, including Indigenous women, and other underserved populations, such as children and youth, LGBTQ2 communities, non-status/refugee/immigrant women, seniors, women living in official language minority communities, women living in northern, rural and remote communities, and women living with disabilities.
Call for concepts: Promising Practices to Support Survivors and their Families
In January 2018, Minister Monsef announced $20 million in funding for a call for concepts as part of the new Gender-Based Violence Program. Following Budget 2018, the funding for the Gender-Based Violence Program more than doubled so that more organizations, such as sexual assault crisis centres, are better able to help population groups at the highest risk of experiencing violence. The GBV Program piloted an innovative approach to supporting community organizations, which includes:
- a longer funding period of up to five years;
- a two-stage application process, which reduced the administrative burden for applicant organizations. Less information was required in the initial concept phase, which meant a leaner application process for organizations;
- eligible recipients were expanded to include labour groups and unions; provinces, territories, municipalities and their agencies; research organizations and institutes, centres of expertise, educational institutions (i.e. universities, colleges, CÉGEPs, secondary schools, school boards/school districts), as well as public health institutions, hospitals, and health care service providers; and
- testing and evaluation of promising practices is emphasized, which will lead to clear impact and results for Canadians.
Public Health Agency of Canada's Preventing Gender-Based Violence – The Health Perspective program
As part of It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the Public Health Agency of Canada launched the Preventing Gender-Based Violence – The Health Perspective program to support programs to prevent gender-based violence and address its impacts on physical and mental health. This includes programs that improve the capacity of health and social service professionals to recognize and prevent gender-based violence and to respond in safe and appropriate ways.
OUTSaskatoon
Today's announcement highlights the Government of Canada's support for OUTSaskatoon's two projects, which will receive more than $1.1 million in funding.
Project title: Transformative Care for LGBTQ2S Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: A Prevention and Intervention Action Plan
The Department for Women and Gender Equality will invest $548,637 over five years in a project that seeks to develop and test the provision of trauma- and survivor-informed, feminist, intersectional, and anti-oppressive services to LGBTQ2 adult and youth individuals and gender non-conforming survivors of gender-based violence.
Project title: Understanding Gender-Based Violence in LGBTQ2S Communities
The Public Health Agency of Canada will invest $567,112 over five years in a project that seeks to improve the quality of care for LGBTQ2 people in Saskatchewan and throughout the Prairies by training and mentoring educators and health and social service providers on how to recognize, prevent and respond safely to gender-based violence as it impacts LGBTQ2 people of all ages and backgrounds.
Incorporated in 1991, OUTSaskatoon is a community-based LGBTQ2S organization that addresses the underlying issues affecting the health and welfare of the community by countering heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. It provides short-term counselling, social support groups, diversity training, outreach and community referrals according to principles based on feminism, harm reduction, collaboration and intersectionality.
Associated Links
- OUTSaskatoon
- Department for Women and Gender Equality's Gender-Based Violence Program
- It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
- LGBTQ2 Secretariat
- Women Deliver Conference 2019
Follow the Department for Women and Gender Equality:
SOURCE Department for Women and Gender Equality
Braeson Holland, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, 343-549-8825; Valérie Haché, Senior Communications Advisor, Department for Women and Gender Equality, 819-420-8684; Thierry Bélair, Office of Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]
Share this article