In May 2024, the British Columbia government appointed an independent reviewer to conduct a systemic review of the treatment of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in the BC legal system. The June 24, 2025, Final Report, Executive Summary and a press release are available on the Documents Page.
Sexual violence and intimate partner violence takes an enormous toll on survivors, families and communities, yet these forms of violence are vastly underreported. Many past inquiries, inquests and other processes (such as the National Inquiry on MMIWG and the Mass Casualty Commission) have made recommendations to address this reality, but the challenges persist.
This independent, systemic review will build on what survivors and other experts have already said about existing barriers and what to do about them. It will employ an intersectional lens to investigate the interplay of legal structures, including criminal, family and Indigenous law, to identify obstacles to implementing past recommendations. The independent review will seek pragmatic, actionable solutions to chart a path toward accountability and systemic change for survivors, families and communities.
See the Documents Page for the September 2024 update, the November 2024 issues paper and the June 2025 Final Report. The BC government’s description of the review provides relevant statistics, citations and a list of help and support resources.
With the release of the final report, the Review has finished its work and will no longer be responding to inquiries. For a full account of the Review’s work, please refer to the final report, and the other materials on this website.