BACKGROUNDER

Violence prevention initiative

• Government will provide $2.25 million over the next five years for a new violence prevention initiative as part of its ongoing commitment to addressing the problem of violence. Premier Brian Tobin and Julie Bettney, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, announced the new initiative at a news conference on March 13, 2000.

• $250,000 will be spent during the 2000-2001 fiscal year, $500,000 will be spent on the initiative in the 2001-2002 fiscal year, and the remaining funds will be phased in over the following three years.

• This violence prevention initiative has grown out of the Provincial Strategy Against Violence (PSAV) announced by government in 1995. The PSAV�s focus is on finding solutions to the problem of violence against women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable adults. It officially ends on March 31, 2000.

• The PSAV is an interdepartmental initiative, coordinated by the Women�s Policy Office, involving the departments of Justice, Education, Human Resources and Employment and Health and Community Services, working in conjunction with nongovernmental organizations. These parties will continue to be involved in the new violence prevention initiative.

• The two major goals of the PSAV are to prevent violence and to improve the delivery of services to victims of violence. These goals will remain a priority under the new initiative.

• The PSAV has undertaken a range of activities aimed at reducing violence including: improving direct services to victims; educational campaigns for the general public and the schools; producing publications; and legislative and policy changes.

• As with the PSAV, a key objective of the initiative is to build partnerships between the provincial government and community agencies working in the area of violence prevention to find solutions to the problems of violence.

• The PSAV team has consulted within government and amongst community stakeholders involved in violence prevention work to determine how best to continue to find solutions to the problems of violence once the PSAV concludes.

• The feedback from community stakeholders has been that anti-violence work must continue and needs to be coordinated within government with continued collaboration with community groups. The new violence prevention initiative reflects these recommendations.

• Most of the money will be spent in the regions through regional coordinating committees set up under the PSAV. This recognizes the expertise that already exists in the regions in the area of violence prevention and builds on this capacity.

• Funding for the regions will be phased in over two years. This year the central, western and eastern Avalon regions will receive the majority of funding for coordination of violence prevention services in those areas.

• Minister Bettney says coordination within the Labrador region represents special challenges due to its geography and this will be taken into account in allocating the funds. The northern, eastern and Labrador regions will be phased into full funding next year. The Women�s Policy Office will continue to coordinate the violence prevention initiative.

Media contact: Adiat Junaid, (709) 729-5009.

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