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Executive Council
February 10, 2010

February is Violence Prevention Month in Newfoundland and Labrador

February is Violence Prevention Month in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Provincial Government is encouraging all people in the province to learn more about violence and what they can do to prevent it from happening within their communities.

“Statistics show that violence towards women and children continues to be an issue in Newfoundland and Labrador and it is one that cannot be ignored,” said the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Acting Premier and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. “By promoting awareness of this social problem as part of Violence Prevention Month, we are allowing this issue to come to the forefront to be discussed, and this will hopefully encourage everyone to see what they can do to combat violence in their communities.”

Violence can be physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. Statistics show that females tend to experience the highest rates of violence. Of the 218,000 women over the age of 15 living in Newfoundland and Labrador, more than 100,000 of them will experience at least one incident of sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. Only 10 per cent of the victims will report these assaults to the police.

The Provincial Government’s Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) is a six-year, $12-million strategy to increase awareness and help eliminate violence in the province. Since its inception in 2006, government has been working with community partners to address violence against society’s most vulnerable populations, including women, children, youth, seniors, people with disabilities, Aboriginal women and children, and other groups who are victims based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and economic status.

As part of the VPI, the Provincial Government launched its Respect Women campaign last year. The campaign was designed to raise awareness among men of their responsibility to teach young boys, by example, that violence against women in any form is wrong. The campaign has helped to substantially increase public awareness of male violence against women in the province and has enhanced knowledge of the services and resources available to victims of violence.

Another component of the VPI is the Provincial Government’s ongoing partnership with the province’s 10 regional co-ordinating committees. These committees help to enhance awareness and offer regionally-based services to victims of violence.

We want to encourage every person in Newfoundland and Labrador to take a strong stand against violence,” said Acting Premier Dunderdale. “Violence is everybody’s responsibility. It’s extremely important for us to show that violence within our communities is something we will not tolerate.”

For more information on violence prevention, visit www.gov.nl.ca/vpi.

Photo #1: The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Acting Premier and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, joins with the Provincial Government’s partners to acknowledge that February is Violence Prevention Month in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Media contact:
Tracy Barron
Director of Communications
Department of Natural Resources
709-729-5282, 690-8241
tracybarron@gov.nl.ca

2010 02 10                                        9:40 a.m. 


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