This release was issued under a previous government.

Status of Women Minister Shannon Phillips issued the following statement:

“There is an overwhelming and devastating trajectory of violence against women and girls worldwide. One in three women has or will experience physical or sexual violence inflicted by an intimate partner in her lifetime. It is deliberate and it serves to keep women without the power to make choices for herself and her family.

“Gender-based violence strikes close to us all. Every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her partner. In Alberta alone, 10 women have lost their lives to intimate partner violence in the last few months.

“These are not just grim statistics: behind them are women with families and names. These are people we know.

“I am deeply moved by the recent response we have seen among Albertans and in the Legislature to recognize gender-based violence, and to act against it.

“Between today and December 10, Status of Women will mark 16 Days of Activism by sharing small actions each of us can take to curb violence in our communities and to improve the lives of the women and girls in our lives.”