📰 Prevention is Key: Building a Long-Term Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence in BC

British Columbia continues to face rising rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender-based violence (GBV). While shelters, crisis lines, and emergency responses remain critical, experts warn that these interventions alone cannot solve the crisis.

The long-term solution lies in prevention programs that target the root causes of violence. By teaching respect, consent, and equality early — and by engaging communities, workplaces, and men and boys — BC has the opportunity to reduce future violence before it begins.

As survivor advocates often remind us: “We cannot only react to violence after it happens. We must stop it before it starts.”

What Prevention Programs Look Like

Prevention takes many forms, with initiatives reaching across schools, communities, and workplaces.

1. School Programs

• Students learn about consent, respect, healthy relationships, and equality.

• Programs like Coaching Boys Into Men and Expect Respect help challenge harmful gender stereotypes before they become normalized.

2. Community Education

• Workshops and campaigns teach bystander intervention, warning signs of IPV, and how to support survivors.

• Rural and Indigenous communities benefit from culturally tailored prevention programs that address local realities.

3. Men & Boys Engagement

• Programs work directly with men and boys to challenge toxic masculinity and promote positive, non-violent expressions of masculinity.

• These initiatives help dismantle cultural norms that fuel violence.

4. Workplace Training

• Employers learn how to recognize signs that employees may be experiencing IPV.

• Training ensures workplaces become safe spaces for disclosure and support, reducing stigma and isolation.

Why Prevention Matters

Prevention is not just about awareness — it is about changing culture and breaking cycles of violence.

• Red Flags Often Visible: Survivors often report that warning signs were present long before violence escalated. Prevention helps communities recognize and act on those signals.

• Cultural Change Reduces Stigma: By addressing harmful norms and myths, prevention makes it easier for survivors to come forward.

• Less Strain on Systems: Effective prevention reduces future pressure on shelters, police, hospitals, and courts, freeing up resources for those in immediate crisis.

• Intergenerational Impact: Teaching young people about equality and respect helps build safer communities for future generations.

BC’s Current Efforts

Prevention programs exist in BC, but they face inconsistent support:

• EVA BC (Ending Violence Association of BC) runs programs in partnership with schools, nonprofits, and community groups.

• Grassroots organizations across the province provide workshops, mentorship, and survivor-led initiatives.

• However, funding is often short-term and project-based, leaving programs vulnerable to budget cuts.

Advocates stress the need for stable, multi-year provincial funding so prevention work is sustainable and can expand province-wide.

Challenges in Prevention Work

Despite its proven value, prevention still struggles to gain the same attention as crisis response:

• Funding Instability: Many programs depend on grants that end after one or two years.

• Unequal Access: Urban areas may benefit from prevention education, while rural and northern communities remain underserved.

• Cultural Resistance: Prevention often requires confronting deeply rooted beliefs about gender roles, which can spark backlash.

Conclusion

British Columbia cannot “react” its way out of the IPV crisis. While shelters and crisis lines remain essential lifelines, they are not long-term solutions. Prevention is the only sustainable path forward.

By teaching respect, supporting survivor-centered education, and funding prevention initiatives across communities, BC can build safer families, workplaces, and neighborhoods.

Every dollar invested in prevention is not just a cost-saving measure — it is a life-saving commitment to future generations.

FAQs

1. What are IPV prevention programs?
Initiatives that teach consent, respect, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention to stop violence before it starts.

2. Why are prevention programs important?
They reduce future violence, shift cultural attitudes, and ease pressure on shelters, police, and courts.

3. Who benefits from prevention efforts?
Entire communities: survivors, children, families, workplaces, and future generations.

4. What is BC doing about prevention?
Supporting prevention programs through schools, EVA BC, and grassroots organizations, though funding is often limited and short-term.

5. What’s the biggest challenge facing prevention programs?
The lack of stable, multi-year funding and unequal access across rural and northern communities.