BRANTFORD, ON – On behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, Phil McColeman, Member of Parliament (Brant) today announced Government of Canada support for a new project to improve the safety of women and girls in Brantford and the County of Brant.
"The Harper Government is committed to eliminating violence against women and girls," said Minister Ambrose. "Our government has been working with communities to improve the safety and security of women – funding hundreds of projects across Canada to end violence against women and girls."
"I am thrilled to announce on International Women's Day that our Government is backing this ground-breaking project to support Nova Vita and address violence against women and girls in our community," said McColeman. Nova Vita has been improving our community for years through its work to combat domestic abuse and this funding will help strengthen those efforts significantly."
Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services is receiving $180,720 in support of a 24-month project to engage men and boys in ending violence against women and girls. The target population for the project is boys and girls in area schools, and young men and women attending some of the area's post-secondary institutions. Participants will act as leaders in the creation of an effective model to engage those affected by violence.
"Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services is committed to doing all it can to help end violence against women and girls" said Joy Freeman, Executive Director of the organization. "We are pleased to partner with Status of Women Canada on this project to improve mechanisms for reducing and preventing violence in our community."
This project is being supported under Status of Women Canada's recent Call for Proposals Working Together: Engaging communities to end violence against women and girls. It aligns with the specific theme of engaging men and boys in ending violence against women and girls.
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, close to $57 million dollars in funding has been approved for projects to end violence against women and girls.
Canada's 2013 theme for International Women's Week (IWW) and International Women's Day (IWD) is Working Together: Engaging Men to End Violence against Women. International Women's Week takes place this year from March 3 to 9, with International Women's Day on March 8.
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