Statement to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, today issued the following statement: “In Canada and around the world, an estimated one in three women still experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. This abuse can occur in many forms, from intimate partner violence to rape, trafficking, female genital mutilation or cutting and child, early and forced marriage. Sadly, most survivors do not feel comfortable coming forward because of outdated stigmas, complex legal systems and the pain of reliving the events.