Freedom from Gender-Based Violence

A child is reaching into a box of chalk with another child beside them.

Addressing the Child Support Crisis in Canada

In 2018, in anticipation of amendments to the federal Divorce Act, Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, brought public attention to the vast scope of unpaid child support in Canada. “There are billions of dollars in unpaid child support payments in Read More

Photo of a white wall that is spray painted to read, "No one is illegal." There is a blue sky above the wall and white sidewalk.

Refugee Rights are Human Rights: The United States is no safe country for refugee survivors of gender-based violence

While settling into work-and-do-everything-else-from-home mode, I’m thinking about those who must leave their homes and brave uncertain and potentially hostile terrain to secure safety and freedom from violence. Refugees are among those hardest hit by global crises – COVID-19 Read More

Photo of a person holding a child's hand. They are walking on a cobble stone street.

Four busted-myths about legal aid in BC: Access to justice shouldn’t be reserved for those who can afford it

No one should have to experience trying to navigate the legal system to secure safety for themselves and their children, without a lawyer, while fleeing a violent partner. But in BC, it’s all-too-common. Photo Credit: Sai De Silva on Unsplash Read More

International Migrants Day: A Long Road to Justice

December 18 is International Migrants Day, which marks an important occasion to reflect on and amplify migrant justice activism. I had the privilege of sitting down with Juliana Dalley (she/her/hers), staff lawyer at Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), a legal Read More

Image that reads, "fund community based sexual assault services" across the top. In the bottom left corner it reads "16 days of action." In the image there are two people visible from their shoulders up with their eyes closed.

Join us in asking the BC government to fully fund community-based emergency support services

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence began on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and continues until December 10, World Human Rights Day. These 16 days include December 6, the National Day Read More

An illustration on a yellow background. It reads "trans is freedom!"

Trans Day of Remembrance 2019

November 20 marks the annual Trans Day Of Remembrance (TDOR). To mark this solemn day, we offer some history of the day and share the names of those we lost to honour and memorialize their memory. This post includes Read More

Black and white photo of a person holding a cardboard sign that reads "HATE" circled and crossed out. You can see the back of their head and back in a crowd of people.

Don’t Read the Comments: Three things to know about hate speech and the law

“It’s an amazing piece. Just don’t read the comments.” We’ve probably all heard some version of this. Many of us have come to expect that online content that challenges the status quo in any way—especially content produced by marginalized Read More

Photo of three posters on a wall. One says "We are here for you," one is a drawing of turtle that reads "turtles against transphobia," and the last one reads "a Trans person was here."

More than a rainbow sticker

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT), an important occasion to check in with ourselves here at West Coast LEAF about how consistently and effectively we are challenging these oppressions every day in our Read More

Freedom from Gender-Based Violence

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