Brampton – Gender-based violence (GBV) has profound impacts on women and gender-diverse people including costing them their lives. GBV also has serious impacts on our communities. Those at highest risk live in rural and remote areas, are Indigenous women, Black women, women with disabilities, women of colour, gender non-binary and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Preventing and addressing gender-based violence is a crucial step to advancing gender equality in Canada.
Today, Shafqat Ali, Member of Parliament for Brampton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced over $586,000 to Victim Services of Peel for their project This Way Out, a promising practice to prevent and address gender-based violence.
Supporting the development, implementation and evaluation of promising practices lays a solid foundation for others working in the GBV sector by promoting evidence-based solutions.
This funding will help Victim Services of Peel work with Peel Regional Police to develop and put in place the HALT (Helping Alliances with Law Enforcement and Trafficking) model, an integrated approach that will allow them to collaborate on human trafficking investigations and immediate on-scene response to strengthen the GBV sector. The project will address the need to provide real-time support to human trafficking victims at the time of a police response.
Today’s announcement builds on the announcement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence announced by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women in November 2022. It includes five pillars: support for victims, survivors, and their families; prevention; a responsive justice system; implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and social infrastructure and an enabling environment.
“Human trafficking exploits women and girls and is a serious issue in Canada and around the world. Victims, survivors, and the frontline agencies that serve them, continue to face challenges, which is why I’m so proud of the Government of Canada’s financial contribution to the This Way Out project, aimed at preventing and addressing gender-based violence in collaboration with Victim Services of Peel and Peel Regional Police. Gender-based violence is one of the most widespread, deadly and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time, and we will continue to address this serious issue.” Shafqat Ali, MP for Brampton Centre, on behalf of Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth