International Women’s Day aims to raise awareness about issues such as domestic abuse against women, a goal shared by the recently launched Neighbours, Friends and Family Campaign.
A recently launched community-based initiative aims to bring the issue of domestic violence out of the private realm and into the public with the help of those closest to the victims – neighbours, friends and family.
“The Neighbours, Friends and Family Campaign is needed in our community simply because it is an educational program trying to change the way people think and respond to women’s abuse,” said Amanda Smithers Ryan, the co-ordinator for the program’s Anglophone campaign in the city.
The campaign started in London, Ont., three years ago, but was officially launched in Ottawa in the last week of February.
Ryan said the campaign stemmed from recommendations by the Ontario Domestic Violence Death Review Committee’s 2006 report.
According to the report, there were 113 fatal incidents of domestic violence in the province between 2002 and 2005. In some incidents, more than one person died, resulting in 148 fatalities. Ninety-nine of those who died were women.
The report suggests that not only were women the primary victims of violence, but also that in every case of domestic violence, there were friends, relatives and acquaintances within the women’s support system who knew about the abuse, but were unable to recognize the warning signs and were unaware of where to turn for help.
Ryan said although people are extremely reluctant to get involved in another person’s family matters, it is important for them to act on behalf of the victim.
“We are not asking people to become social workers, counsellors, or police officers,” she said. “We are asking people to take responsibility to recognize warning signs, risk factors and ask for help.”
These warning signs and risk factors are many and may be both subtle and overt, said Ryan.
An abuser may show stalking and obsessive behaviors, threaten to kill the partner, may isolate the victim and may prevent access to economic independence. In turn, the victim may try to cover bruises, may use drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms and could possibly become withdrawn from family and social circles.
“We receive around 6,000 reports in a year in our section,” said Sgt. Monica Christian of the partner assault unit of the Ottawa Police. Although this does not translate into 6,000 cases of assault, Christian said the city could use more education and preventative programs against domestic violence.
“We tend to react after the incident instead of getting prevention measures going,” she said.
Recognizing this lack of prevention programming in the city, Crime Prevention Ottawa and the ministry of community services funded the Neighbours, Friends and Family campaign in the city.
For small social service agencies, the public attention from last month’s launch and the funding has meant they can focus on the issue of domestic violence and make educational resources available for the community.
Lucya Spencer, executive director of Centretown’s Immigrant Women Services, said financial resources are now available.
The resources are easily accessible online and organizations such as hers do not have to produce their own material, she said.
Although it is too early to judge the success of the program, Spencer said the response so far has been positive.
“The brochures are going like hot cakes,” she said.
The campaign’s next goals include grassroots organizing through several public engagement workshops. Ryan said the program is also reaching out to other social service agencies and will work with local police staff.
“We all have a role to play in ending violence in our community,” Spencer said, “After all, everybody is a neighbour, friend or family member.”