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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious issue that affects many individuals and relationships. Addressing IPV at a systematic level, involves efforts to prevent and respond to it on a larger scale. There are many ways that neighbours, friends and families can ACT to address IPV.
Educate Yourself, Speak Out and Support Victims/Survivors
- Learn about the warning signs of IPV by taking our online training [HERE].
- Educate yourself on healthy relationships, consent, and gender equality.
- Offer support and empathy to victims/survivors of IPV. Believe them and validate their experiences. Know that they may not make the decisions you think they should and support them regardless. Find out more [HERE].
- Educate yourself on Diverse relationships, beyond heterosexual and cisgender couples. Intimate partner violence can have additional complexities for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.
- You can take our training to learn more about helpful and unhelpful ways of supporting those experiencing IPV or using abusive behaviors [HERE].
Volunteer and Support Organizations Doing Work to End Intimate Partner Violence
- Many organizations and shelters provide critical services to support victims/survivors of IPV. You can volunteer your time, skills, or resources to support their work. This may include assisting with a crisis line, fundraising, events, or awareness campaigns. Show up for events being hosted by these organizations. Find shelters in your area [HERE].
- Donate to organizations that provide support to victims/survivors. Donating money or gift cards is a great way to support the work of IPV related organizations. Most shelters list the ways that you can give on their websites and have "Donation Wish Lists" that include a list of their most urgent needs.
- Wishlist items often include hygiene items (soap, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, razors, deodorant, toothbrushes and paste, tampons and pads, diapers, and wipes) are always needed by people who have left their homes quickly.
Raise Awareness and Promote Education
- You can increase public awareness about IPV through education, campaigns, social media, initiatives, and community outreach.
- Support educational initiatives that promote healthy relationships, consent, education, and gender equality within schools, workplaces, and communities. Find more information on comprehensive sexuality education [HERE].
- Encourage schools to implement comprehensive sex education programs that address issues of IPV. Find more information [HERE].
- Host or participate in IPV awareness campaigns, workshops, or public events to raise awareness and engage the community in dialogue.
- You can promote healthy relationships, consent, and respect as core values in your schools, workplaces, and communities. You can do this by creating your own campaigns or sharing existing campaigns like Neighbours, Friends and Families, Neighbours, Friends and Families: Immigrant & Refugee Communities, Kanawayhitowin: Taking Care of Each Other’s Spirit, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, White Ribbon, I am a Kind Man, and more.
Foster/Support Communities
- Create safer and inclusive spaces within your community, where victims/survivors of IPV feel supported and empowered. Foster a culture of safety, respect, empathy, and zero tolerance for any kind of violence.
- Encourage local businesses, community centers, and religious organizations to promote anti-violence messages and provide resources to those who may need them.
- Ending IPV requires collective efforts, mutual-aid, and long-term commitment.
Advocate for Change
Pay attention to local, provincial, and federal political parties and their track records on investing in and addressing gender-based violence. If you cannot find the information, you can call their offices and ask. This is particularly important during elections to ensure that you are voting for the candidate and party that aligns with your values and concerns.
- You can advocate for comprehensive laws and policies that protect survivors of IPV and provide resources for prevention and support. Engage with local, regional, and national policymakers to advocate for policies and legislation that address intimate partner violence effectively. See more [HERE].
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Possibility Seeds has started a campaign to get Consent Awareness Week declared by provinces, territories, and municipalities. You can help by using their letter template to send a request to governments. Advocate for Consent Awareness Week to be proclaimed in your municipality, province/territory, or nationally [Here].
IPV an Epidemic
- Intimate partner violence is largely a hidden issue, and rates have been rising. In 2022, at a coroner's inquest into the 2015 deaths of Nathalie Warmerdam, Carol Culleton, and Anastasia Kuzyk in Renfrew County, the jury made 86 recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies. Read the recommendations [HERE]. One of the recommendations was that the Ontario government declare intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic. However, the Ontario government recently announced that they would not be declaring IPV an epidemic, stating that “intimate partner violence would not be considered an epidemic, as it is not an infectious or communicable disease”. However, our friends at the VAW Coordinating Committee of Windsor-Essex have pointed out that this rationale is deeply flawed. According to the Miriam Webster, definition, an epidemic can be described as “effecting, or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time,” an “outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and effects, many individuals at the same time” and “an outbreak or product of sudden, rapid spread, growth, or development.” Based on this, IPV does not meet the definition of an epidemic as an “outbreak of disease”, however, it certainly meets the criteria of affecting a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population. Meanwhile, over 30 municipalities across the province have made the declaration. Find more information [HERE].
Towns and Municipalities that have declared IPV an Epidemic
- Ajax
- Amherstburg
- Arnprior
- Armour
- Brampton
- Brant
- Brantford
- Bonfield
- Burlington
- Caledon
- Carleton Place
- Cassleman
- Champlain
- Chapleau
- Chatham-Kent
- Chisholm
- Clarington
- Clarence-Rockland
- Conmee Township
- Dubreuilville
- Durham Region
- East Ferris
- East Hawkesbury
- Enniskillen
- Essex
- Goderich
- Guelph
- Hamilton
- Haldimand County
- Halton Region
- Halton Hills
- Hamilton
- Hawkesbury
- Head, Clare, and Maria
- Hilton
- Hornepayne
- Jocelyn
- Kapuskasing
- Kincardine
- Kingston
- Kingsville
- Kitchener
- Lakeshore Municipality
- Lambton County
- Lanark County
- LaSalle
- Laurentian Hills
- Leamington
- London
- Mattawa
- Mattawan
- Mattice-Val Coté
- Milton
- Mississauga
- Mississippi Mills Municipality
- Niagara Region
- Norfolk County
- North Algona Wilberforce
- Oakville
- Orangeville
- Ottawa
- Oxford County
- Peel Region
- Peterborough
- Perth
- Pickering
- Prescott-Russell
- Prince
- Prince Edward County
- Rainy River
- Renfrew - Town
- Renfrew - County
- Renfrew County
- Russell
- Sarnia
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Smiths Falls
- Stone Mills
- Stratford
- St. Joseph
- Sudbury
- Tecumseh
- The Nation
- Thunder Bay
- Timmins
- Toronto
- Vaughan
- Wawa
- West Nipissing Municipality
- Whitby
- White River
- White Water Region
- Windsor
- Woodstock
Your Chance to Take Action Now! Declare IPV an Epidemic
- A formal declaration of IPV as an epidemic would bring attention to the severity and scale of the issue. It would raise public awareness and help to destigmatize conversations about IPV, encouraging individuals to recognize it as a widespread public health concern.
- Declaring IPV as an epidemic serves as a symbolic recognition of the urgency and magnitude of the problem, but it is the subsequent actions and efforts that determine the extent of positive change achieved.
- Some of the positive changes that could be achieved include:
- Increased funding and resources for prevention, intervention, and support services.
- Prompt government agencies, community organizations, and healthcare providers to prioritize addressing IPV and allocate resources accordingly.
- Prompt policy makers to review existing policies related to IPV and develop new strategies to address the issue in a more comprehensive way.
- Lead to the implementation of evidence-based practices, changes in legislation, and more resource allocation to prevention programs, which would assist them in becoming more responsive to the needs of victims/survivors.
- Help to facilitate collaboration among different stakeholders, including government agencies, community organizations, healthcare providers, and law enforcement. It encourages these entities to work together to develop coordinated strategies, share resources, and implement a multisectoral approach to combatting IPV effectively.
- Send a powerful message to victims/survivors that their experiences are recognized and taken seriously.
- Reduce victim-blaming attitudes and encourage victims/survivors to seek help, knowing there is a societal commitment to addressing the issue.
- What can you do to call for the declaration of IPV as an epidemic?
- You can advocate for your municipal government to declare IPV as an epidemic by signing this letter and sending it to your city council representatives.
- Please note that not all city council members will open attachments, so you may need to copy and paste the letter's content into the body of the email you are sending.
- To find out who your city council representative is:
- Google your city or town's "name" and "council members." Each municipality's website will look different. For example:
- If you live in London, you can type in "London city council members." The first page that pops up is titled "City Council | City of London." Click the link and then "Ward Map," and you will be able to view each ward, and the councillor for that ward will be listed. On the previous page, you can click "Learn More" to find your ward councillor's email address, which is where you will send the letter requesting that your municipality declare IPV as an epidemic.
- If you live in Brantford, you can type in "Brantford city council members." The first page that pops up is titled "City Council – City of Brantford." On this page, the ward map can be found by clicking "five wards." Below the sentence that says, "five words," you can see a list of "Brantford Ward Councillors." Councillors' names and email addresses are listed within the ward they are representing.
- If you live in Hamilton, you can type in "Hamilton city councillors." The first page that comes up is titled "City Council Members | City of Hamilton." Click on this page and then "City Councillors." All Hamilton City Councillors will appear. If you click on a ward (ex. Ward 1), you can view the ward profile, which is a map of the ward by clicking on the blue box titled "View Ward 1 Profile"). Below that blue box, you will find the councillors' information, including their email addresses.
