Community organizations receive funding to help end violence against women

Supporting Island families - 

Four community organizations will receive funding from the provincial government to help Island women feel safe from the threat of violence.
 
The provincial Violence Against Women Prevention Grant has awarded the Aboriginal Women`s Association, Community Legal Information Association, PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre and Women`s Network PEI with funding to support their projects.

“The impacts of violence against women are immediate, far reaching and long lasting. The social cost is high to both the individual and society as a whole,” said Paula Biggar, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. “One of the ways to combat violence is through prevention and this grant supports community organizations in a way that that allows government and community to work together to create safer, better environments for all Islanders.”

The grant provides funding for innovative projects that will enhance awareness, education, and action towards preventing violence against women in Prince Edward Island. 

"Street harassment and violence is a complex issue that women and many gender diverse folks face around the world. Some of them are forced to change their daily routines and activities as a mitigation strategy because they do not feel safe," said Jillian Kilfoil, executive director of Women's Network of PEI. "Our project #ItStopsHere will help us understand what young women and gender diverse Islanders encounter in their daily lives. This will inform our awareness campaign as we raise the public's knowledge of street harassment and violence with the goal of reducing its prevalence so that all Islanders can live in safe communities.”

“We are very pleased to have been selected to receive a Violence Against Women Prevention grant. This grant will allow us to develop a family law workshop in Mandarin and Arabic,” shared Ellen Mullaly of the Community Legal Information Association of PEI, another organization receiving grant funding. “Offering this type of workshop will help to ensure that all Islanders are educated regarding family law and their rights.” 

The Violence Against Women Prevention Grant is administered through the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat, which has provided more than $452,000 in grants to community organizations across the province since 2015. 

Media contact:
Vicki Tse
vickitse@gov.pe.ca 

Backgrounder: 

Four projects will be funded by the Violence Against Women Prevention Grants

•    Aboriginal Women’s Association ($25,400) – Finding Our Way through Prevention and Knowledge – This project raises awareness about violence against women while providing them with a safe environment to receive information about available programs, services and cultural knowledge sessions.

•    Community Legal Information Association ($11,950) – The goal of this project is to provide newcomers of PEI with information about their rights and responsibilities with respect to family law. Using the train-the-trainer model, individuals trained will become ambassadors who can support newcomers within their linguistic communities. 

•    PEI Sexual Assault and Rape Centre ($4,500) – This research project’s goal is to support adult survivors of sexual assault. 

•    Women’s Network PEI ($8,150) – #ItStopsHere: Preventing street harassment and violence in PEI. – The goal of this project is to better understand street harassment Islanders face and develop campaigns and that will shine a light on this subject with the goal of reducing its prevalence and all forms of violence in PEI so that all Islanders can live in safe communities.