The legislation focuses on protecting victims of intimate partner-related incidents
Clare’s Law, also known as the Disclosure to Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence Act, has come into force in Manitoba as of March 1.
The legislation allows residents of the province to access an intimate partner’s documented history of violence. The provincial government designed a provincial disclosure protocol in collaboration with Indigenous organizations, community partners, and law enforcement.
“This legislation outlines a disclose-and-support approach that enables people at risk of intimate partner violence to access information about their partner’s documented history of violence and find the support they need to feel safe and protected,” justice minister Matt Wiebe said in a statement. “Manitoba’s unique approach to Clare’s Law will make a difference in keeping Manitobans and their families safe, combining access to crucial information, safety planning and community-based supports.”
The development of the Clare’s Law program will be spearheaded by Manitoba Justice’s Family Resolution Service and Women and Gender Equity Manitoba. Community organizations like shelters, staff, and law enforcement officers will be trained to assist people with their program applications and safety concerns.
The program will be launched both virtually and delivered in person at 2-379 Broadway in Winnipeg by the Family Resolution Service. Wiebe and families minister Nahanni Fontaine, who is the minister handling women and gender equity, said there was an intent to establish the program in satellite locations throughout Manitoba.
The government also indicated that Manitoba is the first Canadian jurisdiction to include family and sexual violence in the disclosure protocol. It is also the first jurisdiction globally to incorporate connections to public or community-based supports as one of the law’s stated goals.
“Clare’s Law is critical in Manitoba, where we have the second highest rate of intimate partner violence and family violence across Canadian provinces,” Fontaine said in a statement. “This made-in-Manitoba approach centres survivors, connecting people to information but also to community-based and trauma-informed supports and services to protect and empower Manitoban families.
Clare’s Law applications are provided on https://gov.mb.ca/familylaw/safety/clares-law.html.
