Indigenous women and girls in northern B.C. will receive increased community-led support through $1 million from the Giving Voice project.

Women, girls and gender-diverse people are disproportionately targeted by gender-based violence, and Indigenous women are four times more likely to experience gender-based violence. The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women (MACIW) has made action on this topic a priority for the council.

Under Giving Voice, a funding initiative led by MACIW, eight organizations in northern B.C. will receive as much as $30,000 each for community-driven healing projects that inspire change and give voice to issues of violence in Indigenous women’s lives.

“Gender-based violence disproportionately affects Indigenous women and girls in communities across the province,” said Barb Ward-Burkitt, chair of MACIW. “This latest round of Giving Voice funding is supporting meaningful initiatives that foster healing and promote safety for Indigenous women and girls, and empower change at a community level.”

Launched in 2013, Giving Voice places emphasis on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to cultural self-determination and safety, and aligns with the Province’s efforts to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples and take action in accordance with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Highlights of funded projects in northern B.C. include:

• Lake Babine Nation will continue supporting Team Gooze, a community patrol initiative that acts as Lake Babine’s emergency-response team and provides culturally responsive care for community members experiencing violence (Burns Lake).
• The Linda Krystina Housing Society will bring woman and youth together to bring awareness to the violence within their lives and initiate change (Chetwynd).
• Old Massett Village Council will support its women’s council, creating a safe space for women to share their experience, strength and hope for a better community (Masset).

Funding for the 2024-25 Giving Voice initiative was provided as part of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The program also helps support one of several key actions the Province is advancing under Safe and Supported: B.C.’s gender-based violence action plan.

“Gender-based violence exists in every community and every context. However, the rates of violence toward Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people continue to be significantly higher,” said Marci Ien, federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth. “This cycle of violence must end and no one knows how to build their community better than the people who live in it, emphasizing the need for culturally specific programming. I’m proud that funding through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence is going toward organizations such as these which are doing meaningful work to empower Indigenous communities across British Columbia.”

MACIW is an advisory council of respected Indigenous women that was created in 2011 to advise the B.C. government about how to improve quality of life for Indigenous women and girls throughout the province.

Quotes:

Annette Morgan, executive director, Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society –

“We are honored and deeply grateful to receive funding through the Giving Voice program for the Empowering Indigenous Women and Girls project. This support will empower our community to create positive change, promote healing and work toward ending gender-based violence. We are committed to utilizing this opportunity to uplift and empower Indigenous women and girls, and we look forward to making a meaningful impact together.”

Melva Quock, justice director, Tahltan Band Council –

“With the support of the Giving Voice grant, we can offer on-the-land wellness camps that provide a sacred space for our people. These camps help us reconnect with the land and our cultural teachings, which are essential to our healing. By using the child in the middle concept, we strengthen the entire community, fostering inter-generational healing and creating a circle of care that extends to all. This funding allows us to honor our traditions and address the impacts of violence in a meaningful and lasting way, ensuring well-being for future generations.”

Sylvia Desrocher, president, Prince George Métis Association –

“We are grateful to be recipients of Giving Voice funding sponsored by the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women (MACIW) for our upcoming community project, Empowering Métis Women and Girls. This funding will help us to create culturally and relationally safe spaces where family violence and gender-based violence can be addressed and understood, with empowerment to break these cycles, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.”

Learn More: 

To learn more about Giving Voice, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/minister-s-advisory-council-on-indigenous-women-maciw/giving-voice

To learn more about the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/minister-s-advisory-council-on-indigenous-women-maciw

For more information about Safe and Supported, B.C.’s gender-based violence action plan, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/services-policies-for-government/gender-equity/safe-and-supported-gender-based-violence-action-plan-december-2023.pdf

For more information about the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-based-violence/intergovernmental-collaboration/national-action-plan-end-gender-based-violence.html

A backgrounder follows.