Independent provincial review warns gender-based violence 'normalized,' outlines recommendations

CBC

6 hours ago

A doctor appointed to independently review B.C.'s justice system warns that gender-based violence has been "normalized," as a new report and update to her work outlines recommendations to address the system's failings.
Dr. Kim Stanton, who has a background in practising Aboriginal and constitutional law and who has worked to address gender-based violence throughout her career, was appointed in 2024 to conduct an independent, systemic review of the treatment of sexual and intimate partner violence in the province's legal system, and to propose recommendations to address them.
"Gender-based violence has been normalized somehow, but it shouldn't be," Stanton said during a Tuesday morning news conference.
"It's pervasive, but it's preventable."
Independent Systemic Review: The British Columbia Legal System's Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence identifies barriers to change, and makes more than two-dozen systemic and legal recommendations.
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said it will take time to review the report thoroughly, but that the government will "immediately" look into what can be done internally to improve how the legal system treats survivors.
"I know that this work will take some time, but we are not starting from scratch," Sharma said during the news conference.
The government will invest in culturally safe victim services to improve training within institutions, and also work on proposed changes to the family law act "including components specifically focused on intimate partner and family violence," she said.
'Repeated recommendations' that do not make a difference
According to the report, 94 per cent of sexual assaults and 80 per cent of intimate partner violence are not reported to police.
Stanton said she looked into why previous recommendations have been repeated without a marked improvement in access to justice for survivors and found institutional barriers such as the operation of silos within government, the lack of accountability within institutions and a focus on the cost of change while underestimating the cost of inaction.
"Silos are created when different ministries, branches, departments, units, or agencies focus on their own mandates without effectively sharing information or collaborating with the other entities that share common goals or address related issues," the report stated.
This has led to a lack of accountability, with "no identified leader with the authority to ensure that what needs to be done gets done."
It goes on to say that when it comes to addressing sexual and intimate partner violence, while there are many programs and initiatives underway in the province, "the whole system would be improved for survivors if there was an acknowledged locus of leadership to ensure that the disparate parts of the system work together to increase survivors' safety and their ability to access justice."
Stanton proposed nine steps to "disrupt the cycle of making repeated recommendations that do not make an appreciable difference to survivors," adding that changes to the legal system will be useful and sustainable only if systemic changes are made.
Among the recommendations is for the B.C. government to declare gender-based violence a provincial epidemic; to create an internal government accountability mechanism; and to appoint an independent gender-based violence commissioner.
In addition, it recommends providing stable funding for the hiring, training and retention of support workers, and for survivors navigating the legal system.
The report also recommends the government support accredited services for men who use violence, as well as services to reduce and prevent violence; and to strengthen education and training of institutions — including government agencies, police, and the courts — on gender-based violence, unconscious bias, and trauma-informed practice.
Prevention includes more than public education about the need for affirmative, ongoing consent, but also "education that challenges the longstanding forms of oppression that perpetuate the normalization and devaluing of gender-based violence, such as misogyny, colonialism, racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic discrimination."
'Confirms what survivors...have known'
In a statement, the Battered Women's Support Services said they welcome the review and the clarity it brings.
"The report confirms what survivors, frontline workers, and feminist organizations have known for decades: the legal system continues to fail those experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence — not because of a lack of law or policy, but because of inconsistent implementation, lack of accountability, and systems not designed with survivors at the centre."
The organization added that while they support the majority of the report, they see some aspects of the issue differently, namely the use of restorative justice in intimate partner and sexual violence.
"These forms of violence are rooted in coercive control, fear, and structural power imbalances — conditions that are not adequately addressed in many restorative models," they said in the statement.
"Justice for survivors cannot be built on reconciliation alone. It must be rooted in safety, accountability, and structural change."
The report notes that to end gender-based violence, action needs to be taken "right now."
"The courage of survivors and the lives of those who did not survive must propel us into action," it stated.
During the Tuesday conference, Sharma said some of the immediate steps they're taking internally include creating and distributing "user-friendly guides for obtaining protection orders," and working with the courts and people with lived experiences "to find ways to learn from and mirror protections in criminal law, to design similar protections in civil and family law."