Yesterday, Niki Sharma, the Deputy Premier and Attorney General of BC made an appearance at the City of Terrace’s Courthouse to speak about a couple of items, one of which included intimate partner violence and what the BC Government is doing to fight back against it;
“Through the help of some federal funding, about $3 Million worth, we’re expanding our Safe Supports Program, which I’m very excited about. It provides supports that are going through the justice system as a result of intimate partner violence or sexual assault and gives them the supports they need to get through the process so it’s not as traumatizing. We’re also looking at different aspects of responding to that Doctor Stanton report, including more public service announcements about intimate partner violence and how it shows up as well as understanding how to target support programs to the perpetrators of the violence and what they may need to get on a different path. It’s part of the work that we’re doing that’s pretty comprehensive in our justice system.”
As far as how much of those funds would come to the North, Sharma stated that they typically leave those decisions up to the organizations that typically work more on the ground and closer to those situations, but a more concrete number could become available soon.
Sharma was also asked if that type of violence was more common in northern and rural BC communities;
“I don’t think it’s a comparison that you could easily make, but you could say it’s on the rise everywhere. Unfortunately, intimate partner violence is one of the most underreported crimes, so we only know what’s reported and also sexual assaults. It’s on the rise everywhere and different factors are at play with that. But I know when there’s economic uncertainty like there is all across Canada, there can be a correlation to an increase of this type of violence. Our job is to make sure the justice system is there for people once they’ve experienced it and that the programs are there to help people get to safety.”
More details on the new supports can be found on the Government of BC’s website.