Standing Committee on the Status of Women

Comité permanent de la condition féminine

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 17, 2022 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (the committee) tabled its report entitled "Towards a Violence-Free Canada: Addressing and Eliminating Intimate Partner and Family Violence" today.

Women in Canada continue to experience intimate partner and family violence at higher rates compared to men. This violence can lead to devastating mental, physical, spiritual and emotional effects for women and girls and gender diverse people. The committee recognizes that gender equality cannot be achieved while intimate partner and family violence persist and acknowledges the importance of addressing and preventing this violence against women and girls in Canada.

With the intention of exploring avenues to address and prevent this violence in Canada, the committee heard from 74 witnesses, including the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and received 137 written briefs between 4 February 2022 and 8 April 2022.

In its report, the committee provides an overview of intimate partner and family violence in Canada, including the effects and root causes of this violence. More specifically, the report examines several aspects of intimate partner and family violence, notably the:

• effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• services available to diverse groups of survivors, as well as to individuals who commit violence against their intimate partner;
• barriers in accessing services for survivors;
• experiences of survivors belonging to specific groups;
• issues within the justice system; and
• prevention of intimate partner and family violence though education and engaging men and boys.

In its report, the committee makes 28 recommendations to provide guidance to the Government of Canada on measures that could be implemented to ensure that the needs of survivors from diverse backgrounds are met and to prevent intimate partner and family violence in Canada.

The report can be consulted on the committee’s web page on the Parliament of Canada website.