First Week Of June Declared Sexual Harassment
Awareness Week McGuinty Government
Acting To Prevent Violence Against Women
QUEEN'S PARK, June 1 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is declaring
the first week of June as Sexual Harassment Awareness Week to increase
awareness of sexual harassment and to honour the memories of all women who
have been victimized.
"Sexual harassment in our
society must not be tolerated," said Minister
Responsible
for Women's Issues Sandra Pupatello. "With the declaration of this
week, let's all dedicate ourselves to preventing sexual harassment in all
areas of Ontarians' lives."
The government is spending over
$190 million annually on preventing
violence
against women and providing supports when violence does occur. This
includes more than $82 million in new funding committed under the
four-year Domestic Violence Action Plan, which is providing better
community-based supports, implementing public education and training
strategies, strengthening Ontario's criminal and family justice systems
response, and providing better access to French-language services.
This is just one more example of
how the McGuinty government and
communities
have worked together to achieve results in preventing violence against
women, including:
- Launching the
Equality Rules public education campaign, which teaches
youth ages eight to 14 about
healthy, equal and respectful
relationships to help break the
cycle of violence before it starts.
For more information, visit
www.equalityrules.ca
- Investing in
the Neighbours, Friends and Families public education
campaign, which provides
information to help individuals recognize
the signs of abuse and know what
action to take. Public service
announcements, a website (www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.on.ca),
brochures, a poster and wallet
cards are available as part of the
education campaign.
"By working together, we can create a better and safer future
for women across the province," said Pupatello. "Women have the
right to live free from the fear of violence."
