Government of Canada Takes Action to End Violence against Women and Girls on University and College Campuses

SCARBOROUGH, ON, Nov. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - On behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, Corneliu Chisu, Member of Parliament for Pickering—Scarborough East, today announced funding to Scarborough Women's Centre to engage young people in addressing violence against women on university and college campuses. Parliamentarians throughout Canada joined Minister Ambrose in announcing their projects locally.

"Our Government is taking action to address violence against women on university and college campuses across Canada," said Minister Ambrose. "We are pleased to support projects that will help make university and college communities safer for everyone."

The Government of Canada is providing 21 organizations with close to $4 million to carry out projects that tackle a wide range of issues related to violence against female students, such as sexual assault and harassment. Organizations will work with college and university campus communities to carry out their projects.

"We are proud to supports projects like this, which will ensure the safety of women and girls in our university communities," said MP Corneliu Chisu. "By working together, and empowering young people from our community, we will make it a safe place to live and learn."

The Scarborough Women's Centre is receiving $200,000 in funding for a project that involves working with students and other partners at University of Toronto Scarborough to identify and address barriers and risks to women's safety.

"We are grateful to Status of Women Canada for its generous support of this important project," said Ms. Lynda Kosowan, Executive Director, Scarborough Women's Centre. "We are excited to be part of this strong partnership with students and other partners at University of Toronto Scarborough and to engage young women and men in working to ensure that women on campus are free to raise issues, and are free of violence in their lives so they can excel in their studies and build a strong community together."

"Campus safety is not just about what happens on campus," said Mr. Guled Arale, University of Toronto Scarborough student and Vice-President External, Scarborough Campus Student Union. "There are real world issues that don't stop when a student comes onto campus. We hope students can take the lessons they learn here and apply them to life beyond the campus."

"We want to engage our diverse student body in understanding and addressing the many issues related to violence, including race, class, sexuality, disability and more," said Professor Connie Guberman, Program Director, Women's and Gender Studies, University of Toronto, Scarborough. "A dynamic committee of partners will run our project, led by our community partner, the Scarborough Women's Centre - all will contribute to its success."

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting projects that yield concrete results for women and girls in Canada while strengthening families, communities and the country. Through Status of Women Canada, the government's support for community-based projects has nearly doubled since 2006-2007, from $10.8 million to close to $19 million, its highest level ever. Since 2007, more than $54 million in federal funding has been approved for projects that seek to address violence against women and girls.

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Backgrounder

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Organizations receiving funding under the call for proposals - Engaging Young People to Prevent Violence against Women on Post-Secondary Campuses:

Corner Brook Status of Women Council (CBSWC), Corner Brook, NL;
Mount Allison Students' Union, Sackville, NB;
Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, Inc. (FSACC), Fredericton NB;
Collectivité ingénieuse de la Péninsule acadienne Inc., Paquetville, NB;
Antigonish Women's Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association, Antigonish, NS;
Association chrétienne des jeunes femmes de Montréal (Y des femmes/YWCA Montréal), Montréal, QC;
La Pointe du jour CALACS Sept-Îles, Sept-Îles, QC;
Interim Place, Mississauga, ON;
Ottawa Coalition to End Violence against Women, Ottawa, ON;
Scarborough Women's Centre, Scarborough, ON;
Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area (SACHA), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON;
Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Toronto, ON;
Yellow Brick House, Richmond Hill, ON;
Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, Kitchener, ON;
Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta, Edmonton, AB;
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, Edmonton, AB;
University of Alberta, Student's Union, Edmonton, AB;
YWCA Lethbridge and District, Lethbridge, AB;
Alberni Community and Women's Services Society, Port Alberni, BC;
MOSAIC (Multilingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities), Vancouver, BC;
Royal Roads University Student Association, Victoria, BC.

These organizations will work with college and/or university campuses in their communities.

 

SOURCE: Status of Women Canada

Amber Irwin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Works and
Government Services and
Minister for Status of Women
819 997-5421

Nanci-Jean Waugh
Director General, Communications and
Public Affairs
Status of Women Canada
613 995-7839

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