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

OTTAWA, Nov. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, today announced funding to Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women 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.

The Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women is receiving $196,270 in funding for a project targeting students at four post-secondary institutions in Ottawa: the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, La Cité Collégiale and Algonquin College. In partnership with the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, the project will identify and respond to the issues of violence affecting women on campus. A social media campaign using the Bystander Approach, which emphasizes the role of peers in taking action to prevent violence against women, will also be developed.

"Our project will provide students with information that will help them develop skills to recognize and speak out about violence against women," said Ms. Stefanie Lomatski, Executive Director, Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW). "Engaging students in the development process will help empower them in eliminating violence."

"Crime Prevention Ottawa believes the bystander-intervention model for addressing gender-based violence on campuses shows great promise," said Ms. Nancy Worsfold, Executive Director, Crime Prevention Ottawa. "The Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women and the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre are applying this approach to a social media campaign, engaging all four campuses in Ottawa."

"The CALACS francophone d'Ottawa team is proud to support this project, which works at preventing violence against women on post-secondary campuses in Ottawa," said Kim Dubé, a member of the Board of Directors. "As a Francophone organization, we are involved in this project to promote an adequate representation of Francophones' unique experiences, without simply resorting to a translation of the English-language social media content. By creating a space for sharing and dialogue among Francophones in connection with the issue of violence against women, we are hoping to fill a significant need in the French-speaking student community."

"The Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre is pleased to carry out this innovative project, in partnership with the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women," said Ms. Linda Capperauld, Director, Department of Equity Services, Carleton University. "This project will have an enormous impact on young adults, providing them with tools to combat violence against women on our campuses."

"We are delighted to have support for this excellent project," said Mr. Murray Sang, Director, Student Academic Success Service, University of Ottawa. "Our multidisciplinary approach will help make our campus - and all campuses throughout the city - safer for women students."

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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