Gender-based violence and access to justice
Through the Gender Results Framework, the federal government is making measurable progress towards Canada’s gender equality goals. On this page, you will find the gender equality goal for gender-based violence and access to justice, why this goal matters, its objectives and indicators, as well as the key Government of Canada initiatives in this area.
Goal
Eliminating gender-based violence and harassment, and promoting security of the person and access to justice.
Why this goal matters
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a preventable and significant barrier to gender equality. While anyone can be a victim of violence, women and girls, as well as members of the LGBTQ2 community and non-binary people, face a greater risk of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. Violence can have impacts on a person’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, which can span generations. Discrimination, harassment and sexual violence in the workplace can also have profound negative effects on health and safety, absenteeism and decreasing productivity.
Access to and confidence in the criminal justice system is foundational to Canadian society.
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Objectives and indicators
Workplaces are harassment-free
4.1.1 Proportion of employees who self-report being harassed in the workplace
Fewer women are victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault
- 4.2.1 Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner
- 4.2.2 Proportion of population who self-reported being sexually assaulted, since age 15
Fewer victims of childhood maltreatment
Fewer women killed by an intimate partner
4.4.1 Homicide rate, by relationship to the perpetrator (table 1 and table 2)
Increased police reporting of violent crimes
Fewer Indigenous women and girls are victims of violence
Increased accountability and responsiveness of the Canadian criminal justice system
4.7.1 Proportion of sexual assaults reported to police that are deemed “unfounded”
Key Government of Canada initiatives
- Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
- Amendments to the Canada Labour Code - leave for victims of family violence (Bill C-63 and Bill C-86)
- Changes to Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) policies to accommodate offenders based on gender identity or expression
- Changes to the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts
- Family Information Liaison Units
- Framework to protect federally regulated employees from harassment and violence in the workplace
- Funding for initiatives to address workplace sexual harassment
- Funding for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection
- Funding to prevent teen/youth dating violence
- Resources on gender-based violence
- Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre
- Interim Management Advisory Board for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- LGBTQ2 Class Action Settlement
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- National summit on human trafficking
- Promising Practices to Support Survivors and their Families under the Gender-Based Violence Program
- Protecting children from sexual exploitation online
- Reforms to Canada’s family justice system
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s sexual assault review and victim support action plan
- Updates to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code
- The Victims Fund