NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Released on December 6, 2011

December 6 marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and the anniversary of the deaths of 14 female engineering students killed at Montreal's l'École Polytechnique in 1989.

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to remember all women and girls who have died as a result of violence, to think about those who currently face violence in their lives, and to consider actions toward eliminating violence against women.

"On this day, and every day of the year, women have a right to live and work in safety and to speak out against violence in all its forms," Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for the Status of Women June Draude said. "We all have a role, including men and boys, in promoting gender equality and ending violence against women and girls. Let us all make a commitment for change and work together to make our province the safest place to live, work and raise a family."

"Violence against women affects us all and this day is an important reminder that we must always strive to do more to stop this violence," Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said. "By providing programs and services throughout the justice system, we are working hard to reduce violent crime and to ensure the safety of Saskatchewan communities."

Violence is an all too familiar reality for many Canadian women. According to Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2010, females were three times more likely to experience the most serious forms of spousal violence, such as being sexually assaulted, beaten, choked or threatened with a gun or knife. In Saskatchewan, between April 1, 2010, to March 31, 2011, 770 women and 914 children entered emergency shelters.

The creation of domestic violence courts in Saskatchewan increases the safety of victims of domestic violence by working to create permanent changes in the behaviour of their partners. These therapeutic courts emphasize healing and provide an alternative to traditional court processes. There are three domestic violence courts currently operating in Saskatchewan: Battlefords Domestic Violence Treatment Options (BDVTO) Court; the Saskatoon Domestic Violence (SDV) Court, and the Regina Domestic Violence (RDV) Court.

The province works with other governments, police forces and community organizations to respond to, and reduce, violence against women. Examples include the Provincial Partnership Committee on Missing Persons, Inter-ministerial Committee on Interpersonal Violence and Abuse, Saskatchewan Towards Offering Partnership Solutions (STOPS) to Violence, community policing initiatives and community-based alternative measures programs.

The province adds support to community-based services and provides funding for several programs to address violence against women, such as transition houses for women and children, family violence outreach services, sexual assault counselling and treatment for abusers.

These initiatives support the direction the government is taking to stop interpersonal violence and abuse and to demonstrate the comprehensive, integrated approach that research shows is effective.

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For more information, contact:

Linda Saliken
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0246