As part of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week this week, St. Albert Victim Services has organized a virtual presentation on how to support and respond to victims of domestic violence.
The virtual presentation, entitled REAL Talk, will be given by Carolyn Mitchell, a program co-ordinator with the Calgary-based non-profit organization Sagesse, on May 18.
"[The program is] for anyone who is interested in learning more about how to recognize and respond to domestic violence in their own personal lives," said Mitchell.
"People can expect a session where they’re going to learn a lot about the stigma around domestic violence."
Mitchell said attendees will also "also learn a lot about how to support someone if they know, or even just suspect, that they’re experiencing it, [and learn] about how to ask supportive questions; what they can really do to really empathize with the person who’s being impacted by it; the importance of listening without judgment; and making sure that [supporters leave survivors] with some formal resources.
"When you really open up those hard topics, people really do engage in it and want to learn more, and are pretty open to talking about it,” she said.
Areni Kelleppan, executive director of St. Albert's Stop Abuse in Families (SAiF), said family violence is a timely issue.
"It’s always a significant issue but certainly during the pandemic, it’s been highlighted in many ways,” she said.
Kelleppan said SAiF supported 578 local families in 2021. She added that before the pandemic began SAiF received 30 to 40 calls a month from families seeking help, but that volume has since increased to 60 or 70 calls a month.
"April topped 90 [calls]," she said.
"Understanding how to talk to someone who has disclosed to you, how to provide responsible and safe bystander intervention — those are all important things."
In the Department of Justice Canada's most recent issue of Victims of Crime Research Digest, researchers wrote that in 2019, "out of 399,846 victims of police-reported violence in Canada, 102,316 — approximately [26 per cent] — were victimized by a family member."
As well, researchers found that "the perpetrators of police-reported incidents were most often the current spouse [31 per cent] or a parent [20 per cent]."
The report states that 67 per cent of police-reported family violence victims are women.
The spokesperson for St. Albert Victim Services was unavailable for an interview about the upcoming presentation.
St. Albert Victim Services is a non-profit organization that works collaboratively with the St. Albert RCMP to provide many services to victims of crime, such as victim impact statements; court preparation and accompaniment; and referrals to other organizations such as the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, Stop Abuse in Families, and the Edmonton Women's Shelter.
Other virtual events
During Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, May 16 to May 20, the Canadian government's Policy Centre for Victims Issues has organized free-of-cost daily virtual workshops.
To register for the workshops you must complete a sign-up form located on the Government of Canada's Victims and Survivors of Crime Week website.
On Monday, May 16, Karen Venables gave a keynote speech to kick off the week of events. Venables is the co-founder of the Calgary Homicide Support Society and founder of the DEVIN Foundation. DEVIN is an acronym for "diligently ending violence in neighbourhoods." Through the foundation, Venables gives speeches in schools throughout the Calgary area about the damaging affects violence can have.
On Tuesday, May 17 Careen Condrote of Future Vision Wellness Services of Grande Prairie will host a workshop discussing compassion fatigue and how to become more resilient to it. Also on May 17 was a workshop hosted by two staff members of YWCA Halifax that dealt with supporting victims of exploitation and trafficking.
On Wednesday, May 18 the Quebec-based Centre for Services in Restorative Justice is hosting a workshop called Liberation through Art and Restorative Justice. Patrina Duhaney, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary, is also hosting a workshop on May 18 called Advancing Gender Equity for Black Women who Experience Domestic Violence.
On Thursday, May 19, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario is hosting a workshop which "will provide participants with a greater understanding of the complex needs of older adult victims of elder abuse and the skills needed to effectively intervene and support them using a trauma-informed approach."
The final workshop on Friday, May 20, for Victims and Survivors of Crime Week will include a "model for the overall recovery of victims of sexual exploitation."
