Government of Canada announces funding to address gender-based violence in Nunavut

 IQALUIT, NU, Sept. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Gender equality depends on all people having the opportunity to participate fully in Canada's economic, social and political life. Removing the systemic barriers impeding women's progress and advancement, as well as building capacity to address gender-based violence, will ensure a better future for all Canadians.   

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced close to $2 million for four organizations in Nunavut: 

• Qikiqtani Inuit Association will receive $330,000 for their education, awareness and engagement campaign targeted at increasing Qikiqtani Inuit women's involvement in political and community leadership.
• Kitikmeot Friendship Society will receive $500,000 to increase its ability and capacity to address and prevent gender-based violence with a focus on the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community by creating an advisory group and organizing community consultations.
• Ilitaqsiniq will receive $625,000 to build capacity for staff training, recruitment and retention efforts, as well as the development of a 2SLGBTQQIA+ pan-northern partnership network to prevent and address gender-based violence.
• Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society will receive $540,000 to increase the knowledge of gender-based violence faced by disabled Inuit women and girls in Nunavut. The organization will conduct research and create a space for women to share their lived experiences.

Investing in areas of capacity-building will help organizations address and eliminate the systemic barriers that prevent women's full participation in political, social and economic spheres, and address the root causes of gender-based violence. 

"Inuit and Indigenous women play vital roles in their communities as leaders, caregivers and organizers – yet we know that they are disproportionally impacted by gender-based violence. Our government will continue to invest in plans and projects led by Inuit and Indigenous women that build capacity from the ground up to help drive transformative, foundational changes to dismantle systemic barriers, advance gender equality and prevent gender-based violence in Nunavut."

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth 

• The Government of Canada supports these projects through:
  • $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund that the Government of Canada created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The investments from this fund have been directed towards various relief measures, including targeted support for women and Indigenous communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
  • $55 million from Budget 2021 to increase the capacity of Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations, helping them address the root causes of violence and deliver prevention programming in their communities.
  • $105 million over five years towards the Gender-based Violence Program.
• Although roughly 5% of the female population in Canada identified as Indigenous, 21% of all gender-related homicides between 2011 and 2021 involved Indigenous women and girls.
• In 2018, when comparing average hourly wages of both part-time and full-time employees, Indigenous women earned 80 cents for every dollar earned by men,
• 43% of Indigenous women reported having been sexually assaulted at least once since the age of 15 (compared to 30% of women who are not Indigenous).

• Women's Program
• Equality for Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Program
• National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
• Open calls for proposals: About these calls for proposals
• Increasing the Capacity of Indigenous Women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Organizations to address GBV: About this call for proposals
• Call for Proposals to Address GBV through Promising Practices and Community-based Research

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SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada