Good afternoon, Madam Chair. Thank you for the invitation to address this committee as part of your study of intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.
I join you today from the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation in Ottawa to speak to you about the Public Health Agency of Canada's role in addressing and preventing intimate partner and domestic violence, in light of the significant and long-term physical and mental health impacts of these forms of violence. I appreciate the opportunity to share this context with you today as you undertake this important study.
The Public Health Agency of Canada sees family violence, which includes intimate partner violence, as a serious public health issue. We are particularly concerned about violence in relationships, since these forms of violence are often repeated or ongoing and can lead to complex trauma. The effects of violence on physical and mental health can persist throughout the life course, and can affect future generations. For example, women who have experienced intimate partner violence face high rates of injury, chronic pain, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use-related harm.
It is also important to recognize the negative consequences of intimate partner violence on children who are exposed to violence in the home, or who experience its aftermath. Children exposed to intimate partner violence are at increased risk of a wide range of psychological and behavioural problems including low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, and increased risks of aggression, delinquency, violence and risk-taking behaviours.
As my colleagues have already indicated, intimate partner violence is widespread, with particular prevalence for women, girls and gender-diverse people. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased risks for family violence as families face heightened stress and real or perceived challenges in accessing support or prevention programs.
At the Public Health Agency of Canada, we address family violence from a public health perspective. We support the design and delivery of interventions that promote safe relationships and support the health of survivors of family violence. Our programming seeks to fill a strategic gap in the field by testing the effectiveness of interventions and increasing the evidence base of what works for whom and in what contexts.
Through “Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence”, the Public Health Agency of Canada is investing more than $8 million per year to prevent gender-based violence. This includes initiatives that prevent dating violence among teens and youth, promote positive parenting, and support service providers with tools to recognize and safely respond to gender-based violence.
In addition to this investment, since 2015, we have invested over $6 million per year to support the health of survivors of family violence through guidance and training for professionals, and through the delivery and testing of health promotion interventions. With budget 2021's investment to work toward a national action plan to end gender-based violence, we have increased this investment by more than $3 million per year for a total of $9 million per year over the next four years.
Across our investments, projects are trauma- and violence-informed, meaning that interventions take into account the impacts of trauma on a person's health, behaviour and ability to effectively seek help.
These initiatives help support survivors by equipping them with knowledge, ability and supportive environments to reclaim and sustain their health and well-being. For example, we are learning how interventions that use the body, such as trauma-informed sports or dance programming, can be an important complement or alternative to traditional talk therapy. Some projects are grounded in indigenous knowledge and have demonstrated how traditional arts and culture can be used to foster healing and connection.
To help share what we are learning from these programs, we also support knowledge hubs and communities of practice. These connect funding recipients and other experts in the field and allow them to develop common ways to measure progress and share emerging findings with researchers and professionals in order to expand what we are learning beyond the direct reach of the funded projects.
When violence occurs in relationships, it has far-reaching and tragic effects. Communities and community organizations across the country are doing impressive work, and the investments we are making aim to increase the reach and impacts of these efforts.
Thank you for your attention, and I'd be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.