The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is an annual international campaign from Nov 25 to Dec 6. The campaign encourages people to speak against and advocate to end violence against women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities around the world. In Canada, 240 women and girls were murdered in 2024, primarily by men, a 54% increase over pre-Covid statistics.
We wanted to highlight some legal information resources and referral services that can assist women and gender diverse people who have experienced or are experiencing violence.
For those experiencing family or intimate partner violence:
- Family Law in BC’s page on Abuse and Family Violence and Safety Planning for You and Your Family
- Mothers Leaving Abusive Partners: Family Law Information, a publication from YWCA Vancouver and Legal Aid BC which has information on child custody and access for women with children who have been abused by their intimate partner
- Legal Aid BC’s page on Intimate partner violence
- BC government’s page on Domestic Violence
- Legal Aid BC’s page If Your Sponsor Abuses You, which can help newcomers being sponsored by their partner who are afraid for their or their children’s safety due to abuse
- Women’s Right to be Safe from the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC shares the stories of Indigenous women and girls and contains safety tips for many different life stages and events.
Applying for family law protection orders or peace bonds
- Family Law in BC’s page on Protecting yourself and your family, which has information on peace bonds and family law protection orders and the differences between them
- Apply for a family law protection order without notice, which provides step by step guidance to apply for a protection order in Provincial family court, including links to court forms
- Seeking a Peace Bond: A guide, a publication from Rise Women’s Legal Centre which provides information for those seeking a peace bond to protect themselves. This publication is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Hindi, Korean, Farsi, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu
Resources for those who have experienced or been impacted by a crime:
- The LSLAP Manual has a chapter on Victims, which has an overview of support, resources, and legal options available to victims of crime.
- The Civil Resolution Tribunal can help those who have had intimate images shared without their consent. The Intimate Images Solution Explorer provides guidance for those who would like to make a claim for an intimate image protection order, damages, and/or penalty if someone doesn’t comply with an order.
- The BC government has a page on Child or Youth Victim, which has information to help children who are victims of crime. They also have another page If You Are a Victim of a Crime, which can help one find services to help deal with the emotional, physical, and financial effects of a crime.
- When Battered Women Are Arrested: A growing problem, a publication from Battered Women’s Support Services which provides information for women who have been arrested by police for assault against their abusive partner
- The BC government has made available many Publications for Victims of Crime, which include PDF guides on many topics such as abuse and neglect of older adults, child victims of crime, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and more. Most guides are available in multiple languages, including Chinese, Punjabi, and French.
Services that can help:
- Rise Women’s Legal Centre provides family law services to self-identified women and gender diverse people in BC. They can help assess a persons’ legal issues, provide information, and legal advice.
- VictimLinkBC is a support service for victims of crime in BC and Yukon. The service is confidential and available 24/7. They can help direct people to services they need, including counselling and transition houses. Callers can receive interpretation during their call in 240 languages.
- Indigenous Victim Services are provided by the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC. The program gives trauma-informed and culturally safe support and counselling to Indigenous victims of crime.
- QMUNITY Legal Clinic provides free legal services for 2SLGBTQI+ people across BC. They can help with employment, family, tenancy, human rights, and other legal issues. They can also assist those seeking to change their name or gender markers on their ID.
- Child and Youth Legal Centre provides legal help for young people experiencing legal problems. They can help with family law issues, child protection, human rights, and more. They do not have a minimum age for their services and can help children and youth up to 19 years old. If the legal problem started before the person turned 19, they may still be able to assist those over 19.
All these resources and services can be found on Clicklaw, your go-to resource to find BC-specific legal information and referrals for your patrons. The above legal help services can help anyone in BC, regardless of where they are located. If you want to search for local services in your community or region, you can use Clicklaw's Services search and select your region as a Location filter.
This article is a LawMatters Blog post written for current awareness at the time of publishing. Please check the publication date as some information may have changed since then.