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History

The BRAVE Committee was established under the leadership of the Crown Attorney’s Office, Ministry of the Attorney General in 1998 as D.A.R.T. (Domestic Assault Review Team for Brant County). In 1999 the committee adopted its new name B.R.A.V.E (Brant’s Response against Violence Everywhere)

The Primary function of the BRAVE Committee was to coordinate the community’s response to domestic violence to ensure that perpetrators were held accountable for their actions; victims of domestic violence were protected from harm and received the assistance they requested and needed; and that jointly established protocols were followed by participating agencies.

When BRAVE was originally formed in 1998, sexual violence was not identified as central to its mission and objectives. Over time, as the committee has evolved, there has been a gradual move towards including issues pertinent to survivors of sexual violence. In April 2015, BRAVE organized a sexual violence subcommittee to prepare a submission to the Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on Sexual Violence and Harassment that focused on the needs of our communities in relation to sexual violence. This submission was particularly important because it focused on the concerns of Aboriginal community members. When the Government of Ontario prioritized addressing the issue of sexual violence through the release of the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan, and in addition offered funds to assist with the integration of sexual violence into the work of domestic violence community coordinating committees provincially, BRAVE considered developing this work more fully.

Throughout its various evolutions, the committee has continued to expand its membership to reflect the growing needs of Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations of the Grand River.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ontario Women's Directorate