Toronto, ON– This holiday season is breaking the silence to address gender-based violence as an epidemic. During the holiday season, gender-based violence often increases due to financial stress, emotional strain, and higher alcohol consumption. Reduced availability of support services and the dynamics of family gatherings can also exacerbate the situation. Awareness of these factors is crucial for prevention and support efforts. By understanding these challenges, communities can better protect and assist survivors. Addressing gender-based violence requires policy and legislative changes along with a fundamental shift in societal attitudes and behaviors. This transformation involves challenging deeply ingrained stereotypes, promoting gender equality, and fostering a culture of respect and empathy. However, changing attitudes is a complex and long-term process that demands comprehensive education, community engagement, and consistent advocacy. It requires collaboration across all sectors of society, including schools, workplaces, and media, to create an environment where gender-based violence is unequivocally condemned and survivors are supported. Only through sustained efforts to reshape societal norms can we hope to eradicate gender-based violence and build a safer, more equitable future for everyone.
Gender-based violence is a global epidemic, with nearly 100 municipalities declaring it as such. According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory, this year alone 142 women and girls in Canada have been killed because of their gender. This issue disproportionately impacts marginalized and racialized women, gender-diverse individuals, immigrants, non-status individuals, and survivors from Indigenous and rural communities. The economic cost of GBV is staggering, affecting both victims and the justice system. Addressing these challenges demands comprehensive legislative action and systemic change.
Legislative Change
Declaring gender-based violence and intimate partner violence as an epidemic is a crucial step toward effective community messaging and coordinated solutions. This is why the Barbra Schlifer Clinic supports Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, which calls on the Government of Ontario to formally recognize intimate partner violence as an epidemic. To ensure this recognition leads to meaningful change, we recommend improving monitoring systems for better accountability, securing stable funding for survivor services, and addressing increased demand through targeted investments. Additionally, we advocate for enhanced language services to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate support, the standardization of risk assessments to address survivors needs effectively, and the establishment of ongoing consultation frameworks to develop and implement evidence-based policies. These measures, alongside efforts to remove barriers to justice, are vital for creating a systemic, survivor-centered approach to addressing intimate partner violence in Ontario.
Call for Gender-Based Violence Commissioner
As gender-based violence persists, it is time for the Canadian government to be held accountable and invest in meaningful solutions to address this pervasive issue in our nation. Following decades of studies and recommendations, and the example set by Finland, England, Wales, and Australia, The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) calls on the federal government to appoint a Gender-Based Violence Commissioner. This commissioner would improve social and economic conditions in Canada by bringing forth the leadership, commitment, and expertise needed to address the persistent and costly social harm affecting communities across Canada. To drive systemic change, the role must be equipped with the independence, authority, and influence necessary to make a meaningful impact at both governmental and community levels.
The Gender-Based Violence Commissioner should work alongside existing human rights commissions and ombudspersons to create an explicit focus on gender-based violence. Specifically, in confronting the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people (MMIWG2S) in Canada. Recently, in the Call for Justice 1.7 Final Report laid out by the Ministerial Special Representative on Call for Justice Jennifer Moore Rattray, calls for National and Regional Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudspersons to address and lead matters related to MMIWG2S. The Gender-Based Violence Commissioner should work alongside these government officials to ensure accountability and real change in our system.
Recognizing gender-based violence and intimate partner violence as an epidemic is a critical step toward addressing the pervasive harm it causes in our communities. By supporting measures like Bill 173 and calling for the appointment of a Gender-Based Violence Commissioner, we can foster accountability, invest in survivor-centered solutions, and confront systemic barriers that perpetuate this violence. The Barbra Schlifer Clinic remains dedicated to advocating for meaningful action and policy changes that prioritize justice, safety, and equity for all survivors. Together, this holiday season we can break the silence and fight for a future where gender-based violence is no longer tolerated and survivors receive the support they deserve.
Gratitude for Our Staff, Board Members, and Community
As we reflect on this year’s achievements, we are profoundly thankful for the unwavering dedication of our staff, Board Members, community, and supporters. Your commitment and compassion fuel our mission to end gender-based violence and create a brighter future for all. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with hope and possibilities.
In the season of giving, we invite you to support our work by making a donation or getting involved through our Step-by-Step Toolkit for hosting third-party events—both are great ways to make a meaningful impact and help us continue our mission!
Sincerely,
Deepa Mattoo B.A, LL.B, MBA, PGD, LSM (She/her)
Barrister and Solicitor
Executive Director
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
489 College Street, Suite 503
Toronto, ON M6G 1A5
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic is a specialized clinic for women and gender-diverse people experiencing violence, established in memory of Barbra Teena Schlifer who was an idealistic young lawyer who was murdered in Toronto on the day of her call to the Bar of Ontario, April 11, 1980. The Clinic offers trauma-informed legal services and representation, counselling and multilingual interpretation, and drives system transformation to support women and gender diverse people who have experienced violence. Rooted in the foundations of intersectionality, innovation, and a client-centred approach, we foster the skills and resilience of the people we serve and amplify their voices to create individual and collective change.
Helpful Resources
To learn more about the Clinic’s work with IPV, please read: Submission to Standing Committee on Justice Policy: A Study on Intimate Partner Violence
To read more about The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) report to appoint a Gender-Based Violence Commissioner, click here: What It Takes: Establishing a Gender-Based Violence Accountability Mechanism in Canada
The Assaulted Women’s Helpline offers a 24-hour telephone and TTY crisis line to all woman who have experienced abuse.
For more information please visit: https://www.awhl.org/