Reconciliation Statement
We acknowledge that this statement reflects our best understanding at this moment in time and our learning and decision-making is an ongoing process.
The Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) honours and supports the United Nations-declared right to self-determination for all Indigenous peoples.
As a settler-led and created organization, working on the unceded territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, and on the unceded territories where our members work, we support and advocate for the Calls for Justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We stand for Truth and Reconciliation and commit to the Calls to Action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. These documents, along with Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Inquiry and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People and A Path Forward Report are important guides on our path to reconciliation, but we also believe there are more than enough reports and action is what is most needed to implement the many recommendations. Â
We recognize the resilience of countless Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people as higher rates of violence target their communities because of various forms of oppression such as racism, colonialism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism. We also recognize that Indigenous communities are diverse, and each community has unique needs. Â
As an organization that supports, trains and advocates for frontline anti-violence workers across BC, we have the influence to effect change in the services provided and a responsibility to develop and deliver informed training to service providers that prioritizes culturally safe supports and services to Indigenous women, children, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and their families who experience gender-based violence.Â
We are committed to the continued advocacy for and support of Indigenous-led initiatives across BC. EVA BC takes responsibility to learn from and enter into relationships with Indigenous leadership across the province and to denounce and act to repair and support responses to this violence directed against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Â
As an organization, we are committed to building an equitable space for Indigenous members, partners and staff. With gratitude to the teachings we have received from Indigenous people (First Nations, Inuit and Metis), we work to incorporate Indigenous learnings and practices in our training, events and other work. We dedicate ourselves to ongoing learning through: hosting reconciliation workshops for our board of directors and staff, sharing Indigenous resources and information with our membership, deconstructing and shifting our workplace’s approach to time structures and wellness practices to mitigate the impacts of systemic inequities, continuously advocating for support and allyship from our government partners, and making reconciliation a key part of our organization’s strategic planning. Â
We acknowledge the impacts and harm caused by colonial history which continue to exacerbate the systemic violence experienced by Indigenous people and communities and recognize that barriers entrenched in these systems continue to prevent access to culturally safe supports and services.Â
