VICTORIA – Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie
Cadieux and Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice,
have issued the following statement regarding B.C.’s response to the
issue of domestic violence:
“Seven years ago, a terrible tragedy in Oak Bay shattered the
silence that too often surrounds the issue of domestic violence.
While the nature and severity of that crime was particularly
shocking, it was also a chilling reminder that domestic and family
violence occur every day in homes throughout our province.
“Domestic violence is a despicable act – and because it happens in
the home, perpetrators hope to be able to keep it secret. As a
society, we need to stand up to these perpetrators and be there for
the victims – to help them escape violent situations and find a life
free from abuse.
“Following the deaths of Christian Lee, Sunny Park and their family,
government responded with the creation of the Capital Region
domestic violence unit, bringing together police, victim services
and an MCFD-dedicated social worker. We established a protocol to
ensure more effective communication between police, government and
community agencies in highest-risk domestic violence cases. New
training for child welfare workers and other professionals improved
consistency and awareness, while the development of an integrated
information-sharing system allowed the Ministry of Children and
Family Development to better track the nature of cases, including
those that involve domestic violence scenarios.
“Since that time, we have worked across government and with
community partners to build a stronger, more co-ordinated approach
to addressing domestic violence in B.C. We have taken significant
action, including creating the Provincial Office of Domestic
Violence and introducing new policies, courses and training to help
police, school personnel, community partners, social workers and
support workers recognize and respond to domestic violence. We have
also made a number of legislative changes that put the interests of
children first when police and child welfare workers respond to
cases of domestic violence, and created protection orders, which
limit contact between family members when there is a risk of family
violence.
“This year, we launched our three-year, $5.5-million Provincial
Domestic Violence Plan, which is the result of extensive public
anti-violence stakeholder consultations. The plan aims to enhance
services and bridge potential service gaps to ensure that women,
children and all those who have been affected by domestic violence
have access to the supports and services they need.
“As part of the plan, the Ministry of Justice developed a framework
for domestic violence courts to provide guidance on best practices
in establishing specialized domestic violence court processes in
B.C. There are now distinct domestic violence court processes in
Nanaimo, Duncan, Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops.
“The plan supplements our more than $70-million annual investment in
prevention and intervention services, and the $3.4 million in civil
forfeiture grants we provided this year to support initiatives that
prevent violence against women.
“We know more can and must be done. That’s why we’ve committed to
introducing a long-term, comprehensive strategy to move towards a
violence-free British Columbia. This strategy will be our path to
creating a province where all women have the supports they need to
help prevent violence, escape from violent situations, and recover
if they’ve been victims of crime.”