Trevor Crawley
Roughly $70,000 in funding will go towards a culture-based domestic violence program for Aboriginal families and communities in the region.
Announced by the provincial government, the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Child and Family Services will use the funding for it's new 'In the Spirit of Peace' program, which incorporates experiential therapy, responsive methods and traditions with current therapeutic practice to help families impacted by domestic violence.
Successful applicants were chosen by a partnership table comprised of representatives from the Minister's Advisory Council on Aboriginal Women, the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, the Provincial Office of Domestic Violence and the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation and the Ministry of Justice.
"Domestic violence continues to hurt Aboriginal women and children," said Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. "It is critical that we support anti-domestic violence programs such as the 'In the Spirit of Peace' program to provide the support and service necessary to help families deal with domestic violence."
Across the province, there are 24 projects receiving a total of $1.5 million to expand Aboriginal services as part of a plan to combat domestic violence.
According to statistics provided by a B.C. government press release, there were 12,359 police-reported victims of intimate partner violence throughout B.C. in 2013.
"Our council continues to collaborate with the Province to find ways to address the systematic issues and root causes that are the reasons that domestic violence is occurring at alarmingly high rates to Aboriginal women and their children," said Chastity Davis, Minister's Advisory Council on Aboriginal Women
"We believe this funding is a good start to address the issues as specific to our communities' unique needs throughout the province to help men, women and children overcome abuse and live healthy safe lives."