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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.
 


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