Government of Canada takes further action to advance gender equity for Black women and girls in Canada

Black women and girls in Canada are at greater risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and the Government of Canada is working closely with partner organizations, experts, and those with lived experience to address this and ensure access to appropriate, intersectional, and timely support services.

Today, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced up to $2.5 million in federal funding for a new project that will advance gender equity and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) against Black women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

“This $2.5 million investment will help to strengthen data collection and knowledge exchange and increase the capacity of our project partners and other organizations serving Black Canadians impacted by gender-based violence. Their work will also help to inform the next steps on the National Action Plan to end gender-based violence, making it stronger and more effective,” said The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P. Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.

The project, Advancing Gender Equity for Black Women and Girls in Canada to Respond to COVID-19, will undertake community-based research activities to address gaps related to GBV in the lives of Black women and girls. It will also engage with Black women’s community organizations and experts by convening a National Steering Committee by and for diverse Black women and girls, and develop and deploy a comprehensive national gender equity strategy to address systemic factors contributing to anti-Black racism.

The project will be implemented by the Women’s Centre for Social Justice, in partnership with the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Battered Women’s Support Services. It will help:

• Create awareness about the human rights of all Black women and girls to live free of gender-based violence across Canada.
• Increase capacity and skills-building resources and partnerships to support community organizations’ responses to GBV and actions to advance equality for Black women and girls’ during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
• Align policies and procedures with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
• Create and share knowledge through the learning exchange hub with community organizations, educational institutions, the Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre, the FPT Forum, and Canada’s Anti-Racism Secretariat.

As Canadians across the country mark the start of Black History Month and honour Black Canadians’ contributions, we must also re-commit to addressing discrimination and anti-Black racism, and to ensuring that everyone has access to equal opportunities. Projects like this one, developed by and for Black Canadian women, are critical to addressing the unacceptable inequalities that remain prevalent in our society. It is more important than ever to accelerate action in support of those who need it most, which is why intersectional and anti-racist approaches will continue to form the foundation to the Government’s response to COVID-19.