Stanton Report Confirms Gender-Based Violence Is an Epidemic 

The Stanton Report confirms what survivors have long said. Gender-based violence is an epidemic and BC’s legal and justice systems are not responding with the urgency, coordination or care it requires. 

Led by Dr. Kim Stanton, the independent review looks at how the legal system in BC responds to intimate partner and sexual violence. It makes clear that many survivors are not being supported. Instead, they face additional harm when they seek help from the systems that are supposed to protect them. 

What survivors are experiencing 

Survivors shared their experiences directly with the review team. Common themes emerged across interviews and submissions: 

• Many survivors are blamed or dismissed when reporting violence 
• Police responses vary widely. Some are disbelieved or discouraged from moving forward 
• Courts often fail to recognize coercive control or the long-term impacts of trauma 
• Legal processes are retraumatizing and many survivors feel unsafe participating 
• Access to protection orders is inconsistent and enforcement is unreliable 
• Indigenous, racialized, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+, immigrant and low-income survivors face greater barriers and experience systemic discrimination 

Rather than supporting safety and accountability, the system often puts the burden back on survivors to: 

• Prove they are credible 
• Stay in unsafe situations  
• Navigate complex systems alone  

The scale of the epidemic 

The data in the report makes the scale of gender-based violence undeniable: 

• One in three women in BC has experienced intimate partner violence 
• 94 percent of sexual assaults and 80 percent of IPV cases go unreported 
• Indigenous women are three times more likely to experience IPV than non-Indigenous women 
• Fewer than 30 percent of sexual violence cases result in charges 
• Less than half of those charged are convicted 

These numbers reflect a system that was not built for survivors and continues to cause harm. 

What needs to change 

The report outlines a series of systemic actions that could help shift BC’s response to gender-based violence toward prevention, safety and accountability. These include naming gender-based violence as an epidemic, creating a Gender-Based Violence Commissioner to track progress and lead system-wide improvements and establishing a coroner-led death review committee to examine deaths related to intimate partner and sexual violence.  

The report also points to the need for improved legal aid, culturally safe services and trauma-informed training across the justice system.  

A whole-of-government approach is needed to address prevention, housing and survivor supports, along with reforms to family law that better recognize coercive control and prioritize survivor safety.  

As Dr. Stanton notes, many of these actions are not new. What has been missing is coordination and political will. 

Our response 

Alongside more than 40 organizations, YWCA Metro Vancouver is calling for: 

• A provincial declaration of gender-based violence as an epidemic 
• A coroner-led review of deaths related to intimate partner and sexual violence 
• A whole-of-government approach to prevention and survivor supports 
• Increased housing investments for those fleeing violence 

The YWCA, along with other advocates, is ready to work across government to help make this commitment real. 

Further reading 

• Read our full response
• Read the full Stanton Report  
• Read the executive summary