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The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women

Expanding Supports for Gender Based Violence (GBV) Victims in Rural, Remote and Northern Communities (RRN)

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Published in: GENERAL, WOMEN

Category:

WOMEN

Sub-Category:

Sub-Category: GENERAL

Resolution Number:

800.10.31

Club:

Edmonton

Province:

Alberta

Year:

2022

Status:

Open

Background:

Gender based violence (GBV) is one of the most pervasive, deadly, and deeply rooted human
rights violations. GBV presents significant barriers to individual and community safety and
wellbeing and can have significant impacts on a woman’s ability to create or maintain
economic independence. In a recent pan-Canadian study, more than half (53%) of study
respondents who experienced GBV said that at least one type of abusive act happened at or
near their workplace, nearly 40% of those who had experienced GBV said it made it difficult
for them to get to work, and 8.5% said that they lost their jobs because of the violence. The
COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated GBV in Canada. GBV organizations have reported
increases of 20% to 50% in “calls to crisis lines, to outreach and in admissions to Violence
Against Women shelters” (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2020).

Comments:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional
Women (BPW Canada) urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, the
Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic
Development Agency for Northern Ontario, and the Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister
responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to work in unison to allocate adequate
resources and support through equitable measures to rural, remote and northern communities
to end gender based violence.

Article ID: 13347