Domestic Violence Awareness Month

November is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Although violence within intimate partnerships can happen to anyone of any gender identity, stats show that women, girls, and Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people experience much higher rates (nearly double) of violence than men. Nearly 80% of those reporting intimate partner violence to police are women. Sixty-seven per cent of people who experience family violence are women and girls. (Shana Conroy, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, 2021).

According to the Canadian Women's Foundation:

• Approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner (Statistics Canada, 2019).
• Children who witness violence in the home have twice the rate of psychiatric disorders as children from non-violent homes (Eve Bender, Psychiatric News, 2004).
• 6,000+ women and children sleep in shelters on any given night because it isn’t safe at home
• It costs billions of dollars: $7.4 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone (Department of Justice, 2009).
• Domestic violence can carry over into the workplace, threatening women’s ability to maintain economic independence. More than half (53%) of study respondents who experienced domestic violence said that at least one type of abusive act happened at or near their workplace. Almost 40% of those who had experienced domestic abuse said it made it difficult for them to get to work, and 8.5% said that they lost their jobs because of it (Jennifer C.D. MacGregor et al., Safety and Health at Work, 2016).

We will be sharing information and resources all month on our channels about domestic violence and its effects. Check back to learn more.

• Safely On Your Way - Child Custody and Access Information for Women Leaving Abusive Relationships.  A thorough guide that includes tips for leaving the relationship.
• What to do if you think someone is being abused - from the Canadian Women's Foundation
• Free Webinar: Register to attend the Coady International Institute's '1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back?" addressing gender-based violence in 2021. It is happening November 25. More details and registration here.
• 'The perpetrators: inside the minds of men who abuse women' - New article from the Guardian in the UK, but applicable to our domestic violence problem here in Canada.
• Numbers to know: Harbour House in Bridgewater is our local transition house that offers shelter to women and children leaving domestic violence situations. They also offer free counselling to any survivors of gendered violence (including sexual violence, stalking, emotional abuse and whether you have used their shelter services or not). They have a 24 hour crisis line: 902.543.3999 / 888.543.3999.