Everyone in Canada deserves access to timely, responsive and equitable supports and services when experiencing gender-based violence, regardless of where they live.
Today, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), alongside Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, announced an additional investment of up to $472,100 for She Matters United to strengthen its project, Bridging the Gap: Exploring Forensic Evidence Self-Collection for Survivors of Sexualized Violence in Rural Communities.
The project explores forensic DNA self-collection as an innovative approach to improving access to evidence collection following sexual assault in rural, remote and underserved communities across Canada. Through engagement with victims and survivors, healthcare providers, legal professionals, law enforcement, Indigenous partners and community organizations, the initiative will help identify barriers and inform recommendations to improve the experience of those seeking support.
Building on a previous federal investment of $450,000, this supplemental funding will enable expanded in-person community engagement activities across Ontario, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba. It will also allow project research findings to be incorporated into tools, policy frameworks, and accountability mechanisms, as well as implement supports for victims and survivors, service providers, and communities across Canada.
On this first day of Women's History Month, this project highlights both the progress made and the work that remains to end gender-based violence and advance gender equality. By developing innovative approaches informed by the experiences of victims and survivors, the federal government helps ensure that those experiencing gender-based violence are treated with dignity, compassion and respect.
