Executive Council
Child, Youth and Family Services
November 17, 2009
Annual Conference Dedicated
to Preventing Violence Against Children
Provincial and
national initiatives, programs and ideas around
preventing violence against children are the focus of a
two-day stakeholders� conference in St. John�s involving
150 community partners of the province�s Violence
Prevention Initiative (VPI).
�Violence is perpetrated against children in this
province and we all have a duty to do what we can to
raise awareness of this societal reality and take steps
to stop it,� said the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale,
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and lead
minister of the VPI. �Children are among our most
vulnerable and impressionable and any act of violence
toward a child is unacceptable. It is incumbent on us
all to ensure that our children live and grow in
nurturing environments free of violence. This year�s
conference will explore ways in which we can make this
happen.�
The conference will include discussions on cyber
stalking, child sexual abuse, the impacts of children
witnessing violence and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
This is the fourth year that VPI stakeholders have come
together to discuss violence prevention in the province.
Previous conferences have focused on increasing
community capacity, youth violence and preventing
violence against women.
This year�s conference opened this morning with a
keynote address from the Honourable Joan Burke, Minister
of Child, Youth and Family Services, on preventing
violence against children in this province.
�This annual conference is one of the main events of the
Violence Prevention Initiative and I believe it provides
an excellent venue for community and government to
discuss best practices, emerging issues and new
opportunities,� said Minister Burke. �This is
particularly significant right now as we are in the
midst of creating a new department solely dedicated to
child, youth and family services. This will not be an
easy process but we are determined to make the necessary
reform to safeguard our children.�
The VPI is the Provincial Government�s $12-million
strategy to combat violence in this province. It is a
multi-departmental, government-community partnership to
find long-term solutions to violence against those most
at risk in society, including women, children, youth,
seniors, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal women and
children, and others who are vulnerable to violence
because of their ethnicity, sexual orientation or
economic status.
�The purpose of this year�s conference is to increase
collaboration in the prevention of violence against
children,� said Minister Dunderdale. �We want attendees
to leave with knowledge and best practices that they can
share with their communities so that we may all play a
part in keeping children safe from violence.�
For more information of the Violence Prevention
Initiative, please visit:
//www.gov.nl.ca/vpi/
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Media contacts:
Erin
Molloy
Communications Specialist
Women�s Policy Office
709-729-6225, 693-7938
erinmolloy@gov.nl.ca |
Susanne Hiller
Director of Communications
Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
709-729-5148, 697-3760
susannehiller@gov.nl.ca |
2009 11 17
9:45 a.m.
|