Victims and survivors of intimate-partner and sexual violence will soon have access to new and expanded supports to help them navigate B.C.’s legal system.

Through the federal National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP), the Ministry of Attorney General is receiving more than $3 million in funding for 2026-27 to advance initiatives that support recommendations from the 2025 Stanton Report.

The review, led by Kim Stanton and commissioned by the attorney general, examined how victims and survivors of intimate-partner and sexual violence are treated within B.C.’s justice system and provided system-wide recommendations to improve it.

“No one who has experienced intimate-partner or sexual violence should have to navigate the justice system alone,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “The Stanton Review made it clear that survivors need better support, more co-ordinated services and safer experiences throughout the legal process. This funding will help expand critical supports, strengthen prevention efforts and ensure people can access the services they need when they need them.”

The funding will help expand survivor supports, strengthen justice-sector capacity and improve efforts to prevent violence before it occurs, a Ministry of Attorney General media release said.

Investments include:

* expanding the Safe Supports Project, which helps people affected by intimate-partner violence navigate family-law processes in rural, remote and northern B.C. communities;

* funding will help add as many as three family court support workers in additional locations that are still to be determined;

* developing a public-awareness strategy that better educates and informs people about intimate-partner violence and available supports;

* reviewing behaviour-change programs for men and boys to identify service gaps, highlight promising practices and strengthening intervention and prevention efforts;

* advancing the B.C. First Nations Justice Strategy, including training for justice-sector professionals on intimate-partner violence and gender-based violence;

* funding will also help expand the Indigenous Justice Centres’ Aunties Program, which provides culturally grounded, wraparound supports for Indigenous victims and survivors.

Together, these investments support several key Stanton Report recommendations, including strengthening prevention and public education, expanding supports for survivors, enhancing family-law services, advancing Indigenous justice initiatives and improving intervention programs for men who use violence.

The funding helps advance a more co-ordinated, trauma-informed and survivor-centred approach to addressing intimate-partner and sexual violence in B.C., the ministry stated.

The province provides more than $60 million annually to support approximately 475 victim-service and violence-against-women programs throughout B.C.

e-KNOW file photo

Article Share