Independent review calls for B.C. to declare gender-based violence an epidemic

VANCOUVER — An independent review of the treatment of victims of sexual and intimate partner violence in the British Columbia legal system calls on the government to declare gender-based violence an epidemic.

The review, released Tuesday, says most survivors never report violence to police, and those who do experience more barriers to justice.

Statistics show 80 per cent of those who have experienced intimate partner violence and 94 per cent of sexual assault survivors do not report the crime.

The review also cites data saying more than one third of women over the age of 15 in B.C. have experienced sexual violence and more than half have experienced intimate partner violence.

Attorney General Niki Sharma told a news conference that some victims “don’t feel safe coming forward, they fear not being believed, retraumatized or dismissed,” which is why the government appointed lawyer Kim Stanton in May 2024 to conduct the review.

Stanton said her review found numerous barriers for action, and identified nine recommendations for the best way to help survivors, including an increased focus on prevention, reform in the courts and expanding legal aid funding for family law services.

The review recommends the province appoint an independent gender-based violence commissioner.

It also called for the creation of a standing “gender based violence death review committee,” saying “fragmented data systems across police, prosecutors, courts and corrections prevent actors within the legal system from getting a clear picture of how (gender based violence) cases are handled across the system and over time.”

YWCA Metro Vancouver CEO Erin Seeley applauded the call for the designation of a provincial epidemic, saying in a statement that she is encouraged by the emphasis on the importance of data collection.

“This is something we’ve been campaigning for, and we hope government makes addressing gender-based violence a priority,” Seeley said after the review was made public.

Stanton said change starts with ensuring provincewide, age appropriate consent education, supplying additional support services for men who use violence before they interact with the criminal justice system, and ensuring police and legal professionals have unconscious bias training.

“In all of the parts of the legal system where I met with people, there are people doing an exemplary job, and there are people who are continuing to perpetuate the myths and stereotypes about gender based violence that are holding us all back,” she told the news conference.

“My work is done on the review, but now it’s over to the attorney general and her colleagues to take up the road map that I’ve given them and move forward.”

Sharma said a “cross-government committee will be tasked with reviewing the report and bringing forward recommendations for next steps.” An update will be provided in the fall, she said.

Sharma also noted that she is having conversations with the federal government about how to improve the criminal justice process for survivors.

“This review is designed to take a hard look at the gaps, the barriers and the harms that persist in how we handle these deeply personal and devastating crimes, but more importantly, it lays out a path forward,” Sharma said.

Speaking directly to survivors at the news conference, Sharma said she and the province are “committed to doing better.”

“You have my commitment that I will do everything I can to make the system better for you so you can have the trust that you need to come forward with these horrendous crimes,” she said.

“We will work across government to change those systems with all the time that I have and that I’m able to do that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.