Canada’s new support to help end gender-based violence around the world

Canada has announced $4.3 million in development assistance funding for 3 projects to help end gender-based violence in developing countries. The funds are being distributed as indicated below.

Project: Strengthening Justice for Women, Girls and Indigenous Peoples in Guyana
Partner: Justice Education Society
Funding announced: $2 million (2021 to 2026)

This initiative aims to bring about greater equality in accessing justice for women and girls in Guyana, as well as to empower Indigenous women and girls so that they are less vulnerable to violence. This project will provide the Guyana Police Force with training and coaching  in initial report taking using a trauma-informed approach. It will also train police officers in the Sexual Offence Units on advanced sexual- and gender-based-violence interviewing and reporting, as well as on gender bias and stereotypes, in order to better deliver gender-sensitive justice for women and girls who have been victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The project will also work with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the judiciary and the Bar Association of Guyana, and it will pilot an advocacy and education program to empower women in 2 local Indigenous communities. The project will directly benefit 12,000 women and girls living in remote and vulnerable communities. The project seeks to empower women and girls to exercise their rights and support a more inclusive, gender-responsive and culturally aware society.

Project: Supporting a Safer Internet 2: Global Survey of Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
Partners: International Development Research Centre, with the Centre for International Governance Innovation
Funding announced: $1.5 million (2022 to 2025)

Canada, through the International Development Research Centre, has supported this project since 2019. This—the second—phase of the project will help to further build an evidence base to understand the extent of, and factors contributing to, online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in both the Global South and North. The project will extend the reach of the initial research that focused on Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Canada, France, Germany and the United States of America to include an additional 15 to 18 countries. The project seeks to understand the extent of online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the Global South, as well as the factors contributing to these forms of violence, with the aim of mobilizing evidence for action and change.)

Project: Women and Criminal Justice Systems: A Gender-Sensitive Approach
Partner: Association for the Prevention of Torture
Funding announced: $844,000 (2022 to 2025)

This initiative will increase the use of gender-responsive alternatives to detention for women in contact with criminal justice systems and improve their prison conditions and treatment. Making strategic advocacy efforts, conducting needs assessments and developing training and tools will give visibility to and address the specific risks of discrimination, abuse and ill-treatment faced by women in contact with criminal justice systems. The initiative will mobilize national, regional and international stakeholders to drive changes in laws, policies, procedures and practices. It follows up on the 2010 adoption of the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), which addressed a long-standing lack of standards for the specific characteristics and needs of women offenders and prisoners.