Local 401 Endorses National Plan to End Violence Against Women & Girls

UFCW Local 401 is proud to be a part of the national effort to address the problem of violence against women and girls in Canada. Along with other partner organizations, Local 401 is supporting the Blueprint strategy, drafted over a period of one year and through a collaborative process involving organizations representing the diversity of women in Canada.

This Blueprint strategy is a roadmap for Canada’s National Action Plan On Violence Against Women And Girls and has been brought to the national stage by the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses. The Blueprint calls for a complete national system of prevention, education, and training for police and those who work in the justice system, and crucially, increased financial assistance for legal aid and housing support to ensure women who escape violence can stay safe.

More than ever, we need to take concrete steps to end violence against women and girls. For too long, we have watched our current government fail to address the issue of violence against women and have faced collective shame from the international community in regards to missing or murdered Indigenous women.

Why is this an election issue?

• On any given night, 4,600 women and their 3,600 children are forced to sleep in emergency shelters as a result of violence. On a single day, 379 women and 215 children were turned away from shelters in Canada, usually because they were full.
• In 2011-12, 760 victim service programs helped almost 460,000 victims of crime.  Among all females assisted, 84% were victims of a violent offence; 30% were women receiving services related to sexual assault, and 61% were victims of violent offences by a spouse, ex-spouse, intimate partner or other family member.
• 1,181 Indigenous women went missing or were murdered between 1980 and 2012.
• 60% of women with a disability experience some form of violence.

Statistics provided by the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses.

The NDP, Liberal, and Green parties have all committed to an inquiry on missing and murdered Aboriginal women. To date, only the NDP has committed to the development and implementation of a National Action Plan on violence against women and girls.

On May 27 of this year, a motion to develop a National Action Plan on this matter was presented in the House of Commons, and despite some support in the House, the motion was defeated. Now, as we head closer to the federal election on October 19th, you can take steps to ensure women and girls are safe from violence by asking all candidates to address the issue of violence against women. Ask your local candidate if they support this plan and tell them this issue matters to you and your family when it comes time to vote! Together, we can work to end violence against women and girls.

Posted on: September 29,2015