Archived News Releases

Province Launches Four-point Plan to Help Prevent Sexual Assault, Improve Services for Victims: Minister Irvin-Ross

The Manitoba government is launching a four-point plan to help prevent sexual assault and to improve services for its victims, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross, minister responsible for the status of women, announced today.

“Too often, sexual violence and abuse is shielded by silence caused by fear, social stigma and emotional devastation,” said Minister Irvin-Ross.  “The more we speak out for and with the victims, provide appropriate supports and shift social attitudes about the causes and impacts of sexual violence, the more progress we will make towards ending it.”

The four-point plan will build on existing initiatives and new research as well as public consultations in Winnipeg and input from service providers, the minister said.  Its goal is to improve co-ordination of services for victims and develop awareness programs that hold perpetrators responsible, not victims.

The four-point plan includes:

• UN Global Safe Cities Initiative:  Community consultations will take place on how to measurably reduce sexual violence in Winnipeg, building on the UN Global Safe Cities initiative announced last year.
• Sexual assault protocols:  Working with community service providers, law enforcement and health providers across the province, protocols will be developed to respond to sexual assaults through improved co-ordination of services provided by law enforcement, health services, prosecutions, victim services and community-based organizations.
• Public awareness campaign:  A campaign to be launched this year with input from Aboriginal agencies, community service providers, law enforcement and health-care representatives.
• National knowledge exchange:  Working with federal-provincial-territorial partners, Manitoba proposes to host a knowledge exchange forum on sexual violence to help build national momentum on this issue.

This month, Manitoba Status of Women is also partnering with the Klinic Community Health Centre and local community organizations to host two workshops.  The first is Understanding Sexual Assault Trauma:  An Interactive Workshop for Service Providers, Counsellors and Therapists, which will be offered in Gimli and Winnipeg and co-hosted by the Interlake Women’s Resource Centre and the Interlake Interagency Network.

The second workshop will be called When Someone You Love is Sexually Assaulted:  Tools for a Supportive, Caring Response and will be geared to friends and loved ones helping someone who has experienced sexual assault.  

More information on these workshops is available on the Manitoba Status of Women website at www.gov.mb.ca/msw. 

- 30 -

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ATTACHED