Today, the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) was awarded the 2023 Women, Peace and Security Civil (WPS) Society Leadership Award by the Canadian Government. The award was presented during an online ceremony held by Global Affairs Canada, with global honourees and the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs in attendance.

NAWL was selected under the national category for its work advocating for better protections for victims of domestic violence in gun control legislation – especially in parts of the legislation related to the handling of firearms where domestic violence exists or is suspected.

The award was presented to NAWL by Ms. Lisa Hepfner, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth. In her remarks Ms. Hepfner highlighted the importance of the work of a strong feminist sector to ending gender-based violence and advancing equality for women.

“I wish to acknowledge the many partner organizations, including PolySeSouvient and members the #Women4GunControl coalition, who worked tirelessly alongside NAWL to make a safer Canada free from gun violence,” said Tiffany Butler, Executive Director of NAWL.

Fighting violence against women is one of NAWL’s top priorities. The organization remains steadfast in its commitment to ending the epidemic of gender-based violence in Canada. Earlier this year, NAWL launched a campaign alongside 250 feminist organizations to advocate for a ban of parental alienation accusations in family court, which are currently revictimizing women confronted with domestic abuse and their children in divorce proceedings.

Acknowledging that national women’s rights organizations in Canada are an essential part of the democratic process, and contribute to a more inclusive and just society, NAWL is advocating for sustainable funding to the feminist sector.

“The precarity of the women’s rights movement, as we’ve seen with the concerted defunding of the sector under previous governments, necessitates vigilance and resilience and for us to come together now to accelerate the important work of stabilizing this sector for the long run. We must do this, so that we’ve always got a strong collective voice in civil society advocating for systemic change to end gender-based violence and to advance women’s rights”, said Tiffany Butler.