For Immediate Release
15 December, 2023
Lela Evans (Torngat Mountains) welcomes the announcement made by both federal and provincial governments this morning of $13.6 million in federal funding to support the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Evans says that while this money is a positive step in addressing gender-based violence, the lack of transparency on where the money will be allocated is concerning.
The National Action Plan, along with women’s advocacy groups, identifies the importance of addressing the health, socio-economic, and justice outcomes of those impacted by gender-based violence, which Evans says, is something this provincial government falls flat on delivering.
“The failure to address the housing crisis compounds the burden on victims of gender-based violence. How are victims of gender-based violence expected to leave an abusive home if there is no safe place for them to go?” said Evans. “In terms of health, this Liberal government continues to fail victims of sexual assault but not rolling out the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program equally to all regions of the province. Every crisis we are facing has added pressures for women and gender-diverse individuals.”
Evans points to the NL Living Wage report, stating the cost of living crisis that we are facing adds additional pressure to victims of gender-based violence. The report states that over 50% of women in this province make less than the living wage, and that this province has one of the worst gender pay gaps in the country.
“This report clearly shows the lack of meaningful action taken by government to close the gender pay gap. This Liberal government has continually ignored the economic injustices faced by women, and the calls from women’s advocacy groups to redraft Pay Equity Legislation. They don’t seem to want to do the work.
“Women’s groups have been calling for a collaborative working group with those on the ground to come together and offer solutions. Why hasn’t government moved on this? Those on the ground, working in these organizations, are the most experienced in supporting victims. They are already doing this important work, without core funding from the government.
“I applaud any amount of money that will go towards addressing gender-based violence in our province, but the government needs to understand that until the socio-economic factors like housing and affordability are addressed, and unless the voices of women’s groups are at the table, we will continue to see victims lost in the system.”
-30-
For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media Relations Manager, NDP Caucus at 330-0328(c), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca