Province commits funds to support survivors of sexual assault

The B.C. Government is providing $22 million over the next three years to support survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence.

“We’re investing in services people needs by providing stable, annual funding for sexual assault services for the first time in 20 years,” said Minister of Public Safety, Mike Farnworth.

“This new funding will allow service providers to focus on providing people with the care they need, when they need it.”

Starting in 2023, the province will invest over $10 million each year to sexual assault services, building on the existing $42 million already provided to these services annually.

Farnworth said that stopping sexual assault and gender-based violence is essential to creating safety and security to British Columbians, adding that it’s essential that victims of these incidents be able to access medical services, counseling, and other supports.

There are over 400 victim services and violence against women’s services across B.C.

Farnworth said that work will be done over the coming months to develop a process for funding the services, and it’s expected that the funding will be available by April 2023.

“In the meantime, the existing grant-based funding remains in effect, so organizations can count on that funding knowing full well that on April 1, 2023, it moves to stable, ongoing funding that they don’t have to worry about either getting through a grant procurement basis,” said Farnworth.

Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, said investing in trauma-informed and survivor-centred services is important work as sexual assault and gender-based violence continues to be a large problem in British Columbia.

“People continue to face violence and feel at risk and targeted in their community. Most of these people are women; Indigenous women; immigrants and newcomers; those who are racialized; trans people and others in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as well as those with disabilities are especially targeted for violence,” said Lore.

“Sexual assaults and sexual violence happen in every kind of community, urban and rural; it happens at work, at school and in the home. That is why we need to make sure that services are available.”

The province said girls and young women under the age of 25 account for more than half of victims that report sexual assaults to police in Canada, and the rate of self-reported sexual assault among Indigenous women is almost three times that of non-Indigenous women. The province also stated that the number of police-reported sexual assaults is known to be a vast under-representation of sexual assaults in B.C. as most survivors never report.

Lore said services to support victims of sexual assault and violence deserve to be properly and predictably funded, adding that engagement discussions with experts to begin a Gender-Based Violence Action Plan that will enhance service accessibility will begin on Tuesday, March 8.

Ninu Kang, executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C., said sexual assault is considered the most under-reported violent crime in Canada, saying “this announcement of $22 million to support those who have experienced sexual violence is a message to all survivors that they are not forgotten.”

Kang added that services for sexual assault victims are critical and need to be part of B.C.’s overall response to gender-based violence.