Advocacy at VIHRC

The Human Rights Advocacy Program provides front-line advocacy to hundreds of individuals in Victoria every year. We assist individuals in filing human rights complaints under the BC Human Rights Code.

Advocates gain knowledge about community resources through their individual advocacy work, networking, and research.

At this time we have one part-time advocate. Please contact our office for more information on the advocate's office hours.

How our advocate(s) can help you

Our advocate(s) can assist you with issues that are related to Human Rights. The advocate(s) main duty is to assist clients who wish to file a complaint with the BC Human Rights Code.

If the advocate(s) feel that they are unable to assist you or that the issue is not a human rights issue, the advocate(s) will refer you to other resources and organizations. If you are unsure of whether or not a BC Human Rights Complaint is applicable to your case, please continue reading.

For more information on resources available please view:

Resources compiled by VIHRC

The British Columbia Human Rights Code

The Code provides protection in a number of areas including:

”The right to be free of discrimination in employment, tenancy and public services and facilities on the basis of race, sex, colour, ancestry, place of origin, disability, family status or sexual orientation.” – BC Human Rights Code, Section D

While the BC Human Rights Code only includes “sources of income” as a ground for discrimination in the area of tenancy, VIHRC recognizes that individuals dealing with issues of poverty are particularly vulnerable to discrimination.

For more information in the BC Human Rights Code please visit the following resources:

BC Human Rights Tribunal has links to the BC Human Rights Code, BC Human Rights Cases and information of filing a complaint.

General Information on Human Rights and Discrimination.

Grounds of Protection is a good resource to determine if you have been a victim of discrimination.