Ontario Making Progress in Plan to End Violence Against Indigenous Women

Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Province and Indigenous Partners Come Together to Implement Long-Term Strategy

Toronto, ON – Mar 1, 2017

 

Ontario, together with Indigenous partners, continues to make progress in its commitment to end the cycle of violence against Indigenous women and girls.

The province has released an update on its work with Indigenous partners to implement Walking Together: Ontario’s Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women. The strategy, which was released one year ago, focuses on raising awareness of and preventing violence against Indigenous women, providing more effective and culturally appropriate programs and services, improving socio-economic conditions that support healing, and keeping communities safe.

One year later, more Indigenous women, children, youth and families are getting the support they need in their communities. Some of the key accomplishments include:
•Providing more than 200 Indigenous communities with supports and services through the Family Well-Being program, which includes hiring and training more front-line service workers, developing community-based programming and creating safe spaces.
•Expanding Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin: I Am a Kind Man, from five to 26 sites across Ontario to support Indigenous men through healing and violence prevention programming.
•Introducing the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, which, if passed, would enable individuals to apply for restraining orders against human traffickers and make it easier for survivors to get compensation from those who trafficked them.
•Launching the Indigenous Anti-Human Trafficking Liaisons program with partners to support Indigenous-led approaches to end human trafficking.

The province will continue to work with Indigenous partners to make further progress in its strategy to end violence against Indigenous women and girls, which is one of many steps on Ontario’s journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. It reflects the government’s commitment to work with Indigenous partners, creating a better future for everyone in the province.

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