Save the Assaulted Women and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate (AWCCA) Program at George Brown College! 
Why This Matters 
Gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) have reached crisis levels in Ontario. Over 75 municipalities have declared GBV an epidemic. Every 48 hours, a woman or girl in Canada is killed due to violence. The Canadian Women’s Foundation reports that 44% of women experience IPV, with marginalized communities facing even greater risks. Despite this, George Brown College has chosen to pause indefinitely—if not eliminate—the Assaulted Women and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate (AWCCA) program, Canada’s only specialized survivor-centered education in this field. 
What’s at Stake? 
AWCCA is not just an academic program—it is a lifeline. It equips frontline workers with the trauma-informed, anti-oppressive skills needed to support survivors of IPV and GBV in crisis centers, shelters, and communities. Without it, future generations of advocates will be underprepared, and survivors will lose critical support systems. The decision to weaken this program disregards George Brown’s stated commitments to human rights, anti-racism, and accessibility—values that should be at the core of any institution committed to social justice. 
Why Act Now? 
The Indefinite Pause of AWCCA is an act of negligence in a time of escalating violence. The Ontario government is debating Bill 173: The Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, yet institutions like George Brown are walking away from their responsibility to educate those who fight GBV on the frontlines. The systemic discouragement of enrollment and lack of institutional support for AWCCA sends a clear message: that education centering women, 2SLGBTQIA+ safety, Indigenous knowledge, anti-oppression, and anti-racism is expendable. 
We Demand: 
The Immediate Reinstatement and Promotion of AWCCA – The program should not be weakened but strengthened. 
Institutional Commitment to Survivor-Centered Education – George Brown College must reaffirm its role in training social service professionals to combat GBV and IPV. 
Transparency and Accountability – The decision to pause AWCCA must be publicly addressed, and students, alumni, and faculty must have a voice in its future. 
George Brown College: Will you stand with survivors or turn your back on them?