Latest news with #KimStanton
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Independent provincial review warns gender-based violence 'normalized,' outlines recommendations
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 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." She also said a cross-government committee will be tasked with reviewing the report and making recommendations for next steps.
Global News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Declare gender-based violence an ‘epidemic,' B.C. review urges
Gender-based violence should be declared an epidemic, a review of British Columbia's system that deals with sexual and intimate partner violence has concluded. The review, conducted by lawyer Kim Stanton, makes numerous recommendations, including the appointment of an independent commissioner on gender-based violence. 'Gender-based violence has been normalized somehow, but it shouldn't be,' Stanton said Tuesday. 'It is pervasive, but it is preventable.' 1:48 Calls to eliminate violence against women The report includes a number of sobering statistics, including that over one-third of women and girls aged 15 and up in B.C. have experienced sexual violence, and nearly half have experienced intimate partner violence. Story continues below advertisement More than nine in 10 survivors of sexual assault do not report it to police, while eight in 10 survivors of partner violence do not report it, the report found. 'I want you to sit with those numbers for a little bit,' B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'That silence isn't because harm isn't happening. It's because too often, survivors don't feel safe coming forward. They fear not being believed, retraumatized or dismissed.' 2:02 Push to enshrine femicide in Criminal Code of Canada on anniversary of Montreal massacre The review calls on the province to prioritize resources for prevention initiatives, including public education, to help prevent violence before it escalates to the legal system. It also calls for more support services for survivors and for men who engage in violence. And it recommends improving education and training system-wide, including for police, prosecutors, courts and correction workers on the dynamics of gender-based violence and unconscious bias. Story continues below advertisement It also calls on the province to implement accountability measures to ensure that its recommendations don't get acknowledged and then ignored. 'There have been decades of recommendations made to address and reduce gender-based violence and to improve access to justice, and yet, as you heard, we still have 94 per cent of sexual assault survivors not reporting and 80 per cent of intimate partner violence survivors not reporting,' Stanton said. 'So the review's focus was to try to disrupt that cycle of repeated recommendations with non-appreciable outcomes for survivors.' 2:08 Study sheds light on knowledge gap in recognizing intimate partner violence Asked about a timeline for when recommendations could be adopted, Sharma said the province would take some time to fully digest the report, but would act quickly where it can. 'Right away, we are launching a gender-based violence action committee within government that's a cross-ministry committee that is going to be tasked with this report and those recommendations,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'I intend to act quickly on the ones that can be done quickly, and the ones that would take longer, of course, we'll have to work with other partners in the justice system to do so. And we will have an update in the fall.' Stanton's review also recommends reform in the courts and more funding for legal aid supporting family law services. And it calls for the creation of a 'gender-based violence death review committee' to better understand how fatal gender-based violence cases are handled across the system and make recommendations to prevent future deaths, similar to the function of a coroner's inquest.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Independent review calls for B.C. to declare gender-based violence an epidemic
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma responds to questions outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Monday November 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck An independent review of the treatment of victims of sexual and intimate partner violence in the British Columbia legal system calls the government to declare gender-based violence an epidemic. The review says most survivors never report violence to police, and those who do experience more barriers to justice. Statistics show 80 per cent of those who have experienced intimate partner violence and 94 per cent of sexual assault survivors do not report the crime, while more than one third of women over the age of 15 in B.C. say they have experienced sexual violence. Attorney General Niki Sharma says some victims 'don't feel safe coming forward, they fear not being believed, retraumatized or dismissed,' which is why the government appointed Kim Stanton in May 2024 to conduct the review. Stanton says her review found numerous barriers for action, and identifies nine recommendations for the best way to help survivors, including an increased focus on prevention, reform in the courts and legal aid funding for family law services. She says that change starts with ensuring provincewide, age appropriate consent education, supplying additional support services for men who use violence before they interact with the criminal justice system, and ensuring police and legal professionals have unconscious bias training. 'My work is done on the review, but now it's over to the attorney general and her colleagues to take up the road map that I've given them and move forward,' Stanton told a news conference Tuesday. This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published June 24, 2025.
