Three more organizations working to combat human trafficking and domestic violence in British Columbia will receive funding for projects in their communities from the proceeds of unlawful activity.

These three community projects are in addition to the 81 grants worth almost $1 million that were distributed earlier this month throughout the province to prevent youth crime, violence against women and family violence, and human trafficking and sexual exploitation. After the initial distribution of grants was awarded, an additional $57,000 became available. The projects receiving funding are:

• BC211 Training Initiative - Women and Family Violence Awareness

BC211, a free and confidential helpline service, is receiving a $27,000 grant to enhance provincewide training to service providers to recognize the signs and indicators of family violence and violence against women. In addition, BC211 will also host specialized training to improve knowledge and skills in responding to family violence. BC211 service providers were responsible for fielding 70,000 calls last year alone.

• Capital Region Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Workshop

The Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth (CRAT) is receiving a $5,000 grant to host a one-day workshop on human trafficking and sexual exploitation to increase awareness in the Capital Regional District. The workshop will include presentations by law enforcement, community agencies and government representatives.

• Nisga'a Sexual Exploitation Awareness Project

A $25,000 grant is going to Lisims Nass Valley Police Victim Services to raise awareness and develop a strategic plan to address human trafficking and sexual exploitation in New Aiyansh and surrounding communities. As part of the project, they will also host a collaborative workshop for frontline justice, health and social development workers.

These three additional projects were selected from the original applicants who submitted proposals in December of last year. With this additional funding, the total amount of grants dispersed to community groups for crime prevention in this round is $1,055,318.

The government's civil forfeiture program has had great success by taking the profit motive out of crime. Since B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Office became active nearly seven years ago, it has returned $9.5 million from successful forfeiture actions to crime prevention programs and to victims of fraud and phony investment schemes.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General -

"Taking profits from people who are engaged in unlawful activity and giving it back to community groups working on the ground has been a key part of our public safety strategy. These three projects to fight human trafficking and family violence not only show how this strategy is helping keep our communities and families safe in British Columbia, but they also build on our recently released three-year action plan to combat human trafficking."

Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development -

"We know that being able to spot the signs of family violence is a crucial part of helping women and children who may be suffering this kind of trauma in their lives. By providing a grant to an organization like BC211 to train service providers throughout the province to both identify victims and respond to them, we can ensure more families are accessing the services and support that are available to them to get the help they need."

Myrna Holman, executive director, BC211 -

"This grant will allow us to expand our training to more service providers throughout the province to recognize the signs of family violence. As an organization that takes tens of thousands of calls a year, this grant will truly make a difference in getting help to women who need services and resources to deal with family violence."

Quick Facts:

• B.C.'s self-funding Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) has taken in approximately $31 million since 2006, including more than $10.8 million last year.
• The office counters the profit motive behind much unlawful activity, filing civil court actions against property that is alleged to be a tool used to further unlawful activity or a proceed of it.
• Beyond one-time grants from civil forfeiture proceeds, government provides more than $375,000 in direct funding for crime prevention programs each year.
• In the first nine months of fiscal 2012-13, the Civil Forfeiture Office initiated nearly 350 new administrative and civil forfeiture actions - up from 313 in all of 2011-12.

Learn More:

To see a full list of the 84 grants awarded in this round, visit: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/crimeprevention/grants/index.htm

B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Office: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/civilforfeiture/

BC's Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/about.htm

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 356-6961