Province Marks Day Of Remembrance, Updates Action Plan

Today, Dec. 6, is a time to remember and honour women that have been harmed by violence.

A ceremony was held at Province House, to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and to remember the deaths of the 14 female engineering students killed at Montreal's l'École Polytechnique in 1989.

At the ceremony, Premier Darrell Dexter provided an update on actions taken by community groups and government to address domestic violence in the province.

"Women have a right to live and work in safety and to speak out against violence of all kinds," said Premier Dexter. "Everyone needs to work together to achieve this goal. We all know that the only way to really make a difference for those living with domestic violence is for everyone involved to work together."

In 2010, the province launched the Domestic Violence Action Plan. This is a three-year provincial plan to address domestic violence in partnership with community groups.

"With the help of community partners, a great deal of work has been done since the plan was introduced," said Premier Dexter. "From the domestic violence court program to the province's first domestic violence toll free hotline, this is work the government could not have done without the help and collaboration of community partners."

"A lot of our plan's action items are either completed or underway," said Marilyn More, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "We recognize that there is still work to be done. We will continue to work with our community partners to help improve the lives of the far too many Nova Scotian families who continue to experience domestic violence."

Since the release of the plan, some of the actions include:

• a domestic violence court program that offers program access sooner to those who commit abuse, so they can change their behaviour and prevent future violence
• recent changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to allow tenants who are victims of domestic violence to get out of their leases early
• Neighbours, Friends and Families program, a public education awareness program to help people spot signs of domestic violence and teach them to approach possible victims without making the situation worse
• a central information website, www.nsdomesticviolence.ca, that includes information about getting help, suggestions on how to help and resources on domestic violence
• the province's first domestic violence toll free line at 1-855-225-0220. Transition House Association of Nova Scotia staff monitor the line 24 hours a day and provide support on how to help the abused, or abuser, and spot warning signs of abuse.

"As we remember the deaths of the 14 women from Montreal and the victims of domestic violence, it is important to become unified in our fight against domestic violence," said Bea LeBlanc, chair of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "The collaboration between the government and domestic violence organizations is a huge step in our struggle. It is great to see us working together."

For more information, visit www.nsdomesticviolence.ca.