Mock Grant Application

Government of Canada, Call for Proposals - Preventing Gender-Based Violence: the Health Perspective - Teen/Youth Dating Violence Prevention

Organization description 

The organization I will be working with is called “The Accelerator for GBV Prevention.” This organization works to spread information about gender-based violence and makes efforts to prevent it. “The Accelerator for GBV Prevention” has created a community and developed an agenda to receive funding and address policies related to preventing gender-based violence and helping victims. They work within a wider network of organizations, movements, and with researchers to pool resources in order to act effectively and compile evidence to service their objectives.

The Accelerator for GBV Prevention focuses on advancing research and creating better policies rather than “duplicating” the efforts of other similar organizations. They take a feminist approach, as they recognize that gender-based violence is mostly enacted on women and girls. They fight to foster communities which work to prevent gender-based violence, and they align themselves with other organizations to help conduct research and change policies that work toward the betterment of women's health and safety. They have created a space “for governments and other donors to work with researchers, activists and prevention experts to co-define and advance commitments towards the Agenda’s goals.”

This organization has identified the gaps in progressing toward women’s health and safety in the realm of gender-based violence. For example, on their website they note that national governments fail to provide resources to combat this pressing social problem—governments rarely provide the adequate funding to tackle issues like gender-based violence, therefore slowing or inhibiting the progression of the movement to end gender-based violence. Money is the largest need of this organization and the network of organizations mobilizing for this project. They have outlined a goal: “Ending GBV 2030” is listed as a target; however, they are falling behind in their progress due to this lack of funding. That is why more awareness must be raised and other systems put in place to handle GBV at multiple levels—firstly, to work from the source of the issue. This is done by concentrating resources on preventing GBV from happening in the first place, through education and interventions to prevent  abuse. Secondly, we need resources to address the aftermath of GBV among victims. 

Problem/Issue/Community Need Description 

Gender-based violence is a widespread problem. It can take the form of emotional or physical abuse, rape, sexual harassment, or stalking. The statistics are shocking. A survey found that in the year of 2018, “44% of women reported experiencing some form of psychological, physical, or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes (Statistics Canada, 2021).” Women and queer people are especially vulnerable to acts of gender-based violence, and younger women are the most vulnerable to acts of gender-based violence. Statistics Canada states that “Women aged 15 to 19 and women aged 20 to 24 are five times more likely than women aged 25 years and older to have been physically or sexually assaulted by a non-intimate partner (Laura Savage, Statistics Canada, 2021).” Moreover, gender-based violence is already underreported. A Canadian Women’s Foundation survey found “that only 1 in 6 people in Canada are very confident that they would know what to say or do to support someone experiencing sexual or emotional abuse. And only 1 in 5 are very confident that they would know what to say or do to support someone experiencing physical abuse (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2023).” Given this evidence, it is vital that we take steps toward providing a safe harbor for victims. As the aforementioned statistic highlights, there is a general deficiency in knowledge about how to take action in the face of gender-based violence—for both victims and witnesses. This fact relates to a population of people, not just teenagers—even adults have trouble knowing what to do, and teenagers have even less knowledge. Former United States Senator Dianne Feinstein reflects that “domestic violence does not only happen to adults. Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend, and approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.”

We need to give teenagers the tools to act effectively in their communities when they face acts of gender-based violence. Teenagers can isolate themselves and refrain from turning to a loved one if they think an event of gender-based violence is a consequence of their own actions. A teenager may feel that if they share information related to gender-based violence, that the consequences will affect them negatively. In addition, victim-blaming culture deters victims from seeking help, as they are made to believe that the abuse was somehow their doing. Teenage populations in particular are at risk for gender-based violence, and are at a further loss in terms of resources they feel comfortable exploring. 

Emotional and physical abuse often happen in private, and the victim’s fate is in their own hands. When these instances occur in relationships, it can be difficult for a victim to understand they are in danger because the perpetrator is someone close to them. Further, the rates of gender based violence are steadily increasing. For example, “[i]n 2020, 160 women and girls were killed by violence. In 2021, 173 women and girls were killed by violence. In 2022, 184 women and girls were killed by violence. This is a concerning increase from 148 women and girls killed by violence in 2019. (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2023).” In light of these facts, we must act quickly to prevent GBV and provide adequate resources for victims. Threats have emerged that go beyond sexual and physical assault—abuse can also take place on online platforms. The Canadian Women’s Foundation identifies “[c]yber violence, which includes online threats, harassment, and stalking, has emerged as an extension of violence against women and is sometimes referred to as technology-facilitated gender-based violence, abuse, and harassment (UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, 2015; Cynthia Khoo, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, 2021).” 

There are resources that can help these victims, but they can only help if the individual knows exactly what happened and where to go for help. If there are no adults to provide help or direct young people to resources, these teens are at a loss for what to do on their own, and violence will likely continue or be met without consequences. Victims could remain in abusive relationships without knowing ways to get out or get help. Victims could want help but are afraid to report it to the police and may want to maintain anonymity. The app I am proposing would provide personalized help to any of these possible victims.

Project Description & Execution Plan

My proposal is to develop an app called “Prevent GBV” which teens and adults alike can download and use as a resource for all things related to gender-based violence. It will be a nonprofit, user-friendly app that acts as a tool to identify and report crimes related to gender-based violence, with a focus on the aftermath of GBV for victims. Our primary audience will be teenagers, as this project targets the problem of teen dating violence. There will be specialized resources for trans people and LGBTQ+, as these populations have a higher risk of being subject to gender-based violence. The app will have easy-access informational sections which help the user identify different forms of gender-based violence. It will be specifically targeted to a younger audience with the goal of providing resources for teenage victims of dating violence or gender-based violence, but the app and the services it offers will be available to anyone. The app will be available across Canada. It will have several features, the first being an “identify” section which lists signs and examples of gender based violence. This will include signifiers of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. There will also be a section devoted to the issue of cyber-related gender-based violence and a specific place to report it. These features will help young people discern whether an event they witnessed or experienced falls under the category of gender-based violence and whether the event is reportable. Descriptions will help individuals gauge the severity of their circumstance, and the app will list ways they can get out of a place or situation, and/or get help. 

Another section will be entitled “report a crime” or “request help.” There are two avenues an individual can take—one to preserve confidentiality but access resources for assistance, and another to report an issue to the police or to DCF. Links will be provided to these services as well as instructions on how to navigate each system. In addition, there will be resources linked such as the suicide prevention hotline, as well as links to nearby STI clinics and abortion clinics to help support rape victims and their possible needs. Based on the user’s location, the app will provide the closest resources. It will list ways to stay safe even if the individual doesn't want to report the crime: there will be links to counseling services and other resources based on the individual's location.

Another feature of the app will be the talk or text hotline. This feature will be available 24/7. It will be a helpline which individuals can access for expertise and counseling tailored to their particular situation. The professionals working on the text/call hotline will be familiar with the organization and its objectives, and will be trained and equipped with all of the tools to recommend plans of action to users. Counselors may advise victims to take steps on their own—confide in a loved one, a friend or family member, or visit a local resource center for domestic violence. 

Beyond these features, there will be a section dedicated to information surrounding the issue, a list of at-risk populations, and statistics about gender-based violence as a whole. The objective of this section is to build literacy around the issue, help victims know they are not alone, and to spread information and knowledge about the subject of GBV. It is important that more people know about the risks and truths of gender-based violence in order for us to help prevent it. 

The primary goal of this app is to address the issue of gender based violence among teens by providing adequate resources for the aftermath, while also spreading awareness in communities of young people that help prevent future abuse from taking place. By implementing tools and services available through the app, the hope is to enable victims to remove themselves from abusive relationships, promote victims’ understanding of the cycles of abuse, and help them to recognize the hallmarks of abusive relationships in order to help friends and family and keep themselves out of harm’s way. The app’s objective is to build literacy among victims and non-victims, so that there is a wealth of knowledge which these younger communities can draw from to keep themselves and others safe. 

Expenses Outline

The development and execution of the app “Prevent GBV” will require various funding needs. The initial design and launch of the app is the first expense. We will need to hire digital design experts to develop the app itself. After that, we will need to advertise widely in order to get the attention of the younger population. There will be costs related to the creation of advertisements as well as the promotion of advertisements. As this is a national project, the advertising will need to be vast. We will create image-based advertisements as well as video advertisements that raise awareness about the issue of gender-based violence. The advertisements will then promote the app itself as a solution to the aftermath of gender-based violence, particularly among teenagers. We will then use spaces like Instagram and TikTok—sites frequented by our target audience—to promote the app. Aside from advertising on relevant socials, we will need to pay employees to run the live chat feature. We will hire individuals and take them through a training process during which they will learn how to respond to an array of possible victims’ situations. The employees are required to complete this training system, and we will need to spend money on designing the curriculum for it. The training process will take the form of online modules, which ensures clarity and consistency in training, and cuts back on funding we would need to train individuals in person. We will then have those trained counselors on the hotline to assist callers and talk them through their problems at hand. We need the live chat/call system to be functioning at all hours, so this is where most of the expenses will arise. 

Impact Measurement
The impact of the app “Prevent GBV” can be measured in several ways. After having the pilot of the project up and running for a year, we will assess the success of the app by seeing how many downloads the app has received. This will enable us to gauge how many people it has reached. We can assess which bases for our advertisements have drawn the most attention, and then use that information to advertise more effectively. We can also quantify the impact based on how often the helpline/chat feature is used. For example, how many calls or texts are we getting on the hotline per week? After assessing how much attention the text/call hotline is used, we can diminish or add resources to the chat feature in order to make it more effective. 

We can also look at web trafficking and see which resources were clicked on the most. How often are victims using each feature? How often are they reporting crimes through the app? Which feature attracts the most attention? In understanding which features are the most effective, we can adjust our goals and resources for the app accordingly. We can also implement surveys on the app itself to gather information and ask users how effective they find the app to be.

From there, we can assess which regions in Canada the app is drawing more attention from. After identifying which places need the most help, we can work with other organizations to concentrate or develop more resources for help in those areas, and therefore develop strategies for the prevention of gender-based violence.

Works Cited 

“About Us.” Prevent Gender Based Violence, 27 Nov. 2023, preventgbv.org/about-us/. 

Canada, Public Health Agency of. “Government of Canada.” Call for Proposals Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence: The Health Perspective - Teen/Youth Dating Violence Prevention - Canada.Ca, / Gouvernement du Canada, 2 Mar. 2020, www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/call-proposals-precenting-addressing-gender-based-violence-health-perspective-teen-youth-dating-violence-prevention.html. 

Canada, Women and Gender Equality. “Government of Canada.” Canada.Ca, / Gouvernement du Canada, 10 June 2024, www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-based-violence/about-gender-based-violence.html. 

“Gender Based Violence in Canada: Learn the Facts.” Canadian Women’s Foundation, 16 Aug. 2024, canadianwomen.org/the-facts/gender-based-violence/. 

Sutton, Danielle, and Marta Burczycka. “This Juristat Article Provides Insight into the Prevalence, Characteristics and Consequences of Dating Violence among Teens Aged 15 to 17 in Canada. Violence between Dating Partners Can Include Criminal Acts Such as Physical and Sexual Violence, as Well as Acts That May Not Reach the Criminal Threshold (e.g., Emotional and Psychological Abuse) but Which Can Nonetheless Have Negative Consequences for Victims. Teens’ Attitudes towards Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships Are Also Presented. Findings Are Based on Self-Reported Data Collected through the 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces and on Police-Reported Data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Where Possible, Comparisons between Genders, Age Groups and Other Populations of Interest Are Presented.” Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 20 Mar. 2024, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2024001/article/00004-eng.htm# https://www.doonething.org/quotes/violence-quotes.htm.