Released on December 6, 2019
Today, December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. It is also the 30th anniversary of the deaths of 14 female engineering students who were targeted and killed in 1989 at Montreal’s Ecolé Polytechnique because they were women.“Combatting violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Tina Beaudry-Mellor said. “The National Day of Remembrance on December 6 provides us with a day to remember and honour those who have lost their lives through violence and to think of ways we can each help.”
“Our government is committed to making our communities safer and reducing crime, specifically for those at risk of gender-based violence,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said. “We’re taking action to ensure Saskatchewan is a place where women can live, work and go to school without needing to worry about the threat of violence.”
The White Ribbon Campaign was launched in 1991 to raise awareness, promote gender equality and condemn gender-based violence. The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to ending violence against women and girls. Ministries within the Saskatchewan Public Service are wearing white ribbons to show their support of efforts to prevent and end violence targeted at women and girls.
In the last year, the Government of Saskatchewan has developed new programs and policies to assist those dealing with gender-based violence.
These include:
- Passage of The Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Protocol Act (Clare’s Law);
- Launch of the Legal Information and Advice for Survivors of Sexual Violence (the Listen Project);
- Implemented a new policy with the Saskatchewan Police Commission that improves how investigations into incidents of intimate partner violence are conducted;
- Partnered with Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan and the Regina Police Service to support a pilot project of the Philadelphia Model at the Regina Police Service;
- Interpersonal violence awareness training for Conservation Officers and Highway Patrol Officers; and
- Released a paper that addresses the shared responsibility of solving the complex issue of interpersonal violence and abuse in Saskatchewan.
• Find more information at these links: Clare’s Law https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2019/may/02/clares-law and https://publications.saskatchewan.ca/#/products/1015241
• The Philadelphia Model https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2019/may/06/case-review-pilot
• The Status of Women Office https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/government-structure/boards-commissions-and-agencies/status-of-women-office
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For more information, contact:
Shannon Gilbert
Status of Women Office
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0253
Email: Shannon.Gilbert@gov.sk.ca