Pandemic: women's shelters
noted escalation in violence
Isolation and containment measures aimed at ensuring public safety inadvertently created a dangerous situation:
attackers used this increased isolation to further control their victims.
attackers used this increased isolation to further control their victims.
MONTREAL - Women's shelters across the country have seen an escalation in the severity of violence against them during the pandemic. They also deplore this new tactic of the attackers: threatening to transmit COVID-19 to women and their children.
The most recent national survey of women's shelters and their children paints a picture that is far from rosy.
The pandemic shattered the seams of this relief system during the health crisis, and the violence escalated.
“Not only is our home at maximum capacity, but the number of cases of violence that we deal with has also increased dramatically, as has their severity,” noted one of the shelters.
According to the Women's Shelter Canada group that conducted the survey, this comment highlights a worrying trend reported by shelters across the country: an escalation in the severity of violence against women during the pandemic.
“It's shocking,” says Lise Martin, Executive Director of Women's Accommodation Canada.
The most recent national survey of women's shelters and their children paints a picture that is far from rosy.
The pandemic shattered the seams of this relief system during the health crisis, and the violence escalated.
“Not only is our home at maximum capacity, but the number of cases of violence that we deal with has also increased dramatically, as has their severity,” noted one of the shelters.
According to the Women's Shelter Canada group that conducted the survey, this comment highlights a worrying trend reported by shelters across the country: an escalation in the severity of violence against women during the pandemic.
“It's shocking,” says Lise Martin, Executive Director of Women's Accommodation Canada.
During the first phase of the pandemic and its strict containment, women were often not so able to place calls for help: stuck at home, no way to find a moment away from the ears of the violent spouse.
"Tensions increased more and more, and by the time the women were able to successfully join a home,
the violence had increased," says Ms. Martin.
Located in each province and territory, in urban and rural areas, they are 266 shelters to have responded
to this probe covering the period from March to October.
"The attackers have used the pandemic itself as a strategy to mistreat and further control women confined to the home due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19," read the report analyzing the survey data released Wednesday for to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
More specifically, the rise of coercive control - isolation, limitation of access to finance, control of behavior, degradation, restriction of movement - has been reported even more frequently than usual.
Comments accompanying the responses also indicate that threats to transmit COVID-19 to women
or their children have been a "common" tactic used by abusers.
"Tensions increased more and more, and by the time the women were able to successfully join a home,
the violence had increased," says Ms. Martin.
Located in each province and territory, in urban and rural areas, they are 266 shelters to have responded
to this probe covering the period from March to October.
"The attackers have used the pandemic itself as a strategy to mistreat and further control women confined to the home due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19," read the report analyzing the survey data released Wednesday for to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
More specifically, the rise of coercive control - isolation, limitation of access to finance, control of behavior, degradation, restriction of movement - has been reported even more frequently than usual.
Comments accompanying the responses also indicate that threats to transmit COVID-19 to women
or their children have been a "common" tactic used by abusers.
In the spring, less was known about COVID-19, explained Ms. Martin: “it was relatively easy for attackers to sow this fear”.
As for the women accommodated, 16% of the responding houses reported that they had suffered much more serious violence during the period analyzed, 36% a little more serious, and 48% roughly the same.
Shelters that did not see changes in the rates or types of violence were often in locations where the pandemic had not affected their community - few cases of COVID-19 or no lockdown.
In addition to the assaults, the women had to deal with all the stress associated with the pandemic.
Homes have noted a significant increase in mental health crises.
The challenges of houses
For the shelters that help them, the challenges have been enormous. But they never closed during the COVID-19 crisis. And then, the majority of them offered services to women who were not staying in a shelter.
As for the women accommodated, 16% of the responding houses reported that they had suffered much more serious violence during the period analyzed, 36% a little more serious, and 48% roughly the same.
Shelters that did not see changes in the rates or types of violence were often in locations where the pandemic had not affected their community - few cases of COVID-19 or no lockdown.
In addition to the assaults, the women had to deal with all the stress associated with the pandemic.
Homes have noted a significant increase in mental health crises.
The challenges of houses
For the shelters that help them, the challenges have been enormous. But they never closed during the COVID-19 crisis. And then, the majority of them offered services to women who were not staying in a shelter.
They had to operate at reduced capacity because of the sanitary rules imposed: 71% of the houses which responded to the survey indicated that they had reduced their reception capacity. The number of rooms has also been reduced in order to make way for an isolation unit to quarantine infected women or prevent contamination when new women arrive.
When the solution instead took the form of a hotel to have additional rooms or a place of isolation, the houses noted that it was more difficult to offer women the services they needed and to provide their security - not to mention the additional costs incurred,
which have eroded the already meager budgets of these organizations.
Public health regulations have made it harder for staff to clean up, reorganize spaces for physical distancing,
and make any changes necessary to deliver programs to residents.
Ms. Martin salutes the commitment of the staff of these houses, who have never stopped, their resilience, as well as their creativity.
They worked small miracles on a daily basis.
Fearing that abused women will not be able to leave their homes, shelters have notably offered remote support through various technological means: texting (more discreet), phone chats, video conferences - solutions that many want to keep in the dark. -beyond the pandemic.
Some houses prepared and served all meals for residents to avoid handling food and cooking utensils. Several emergency homes have indicated they will retain various health and safety practices such as pandemic planning,
storage of personal protective equipment and hand washing.
When the solution instead took the form of a hotel to have additional rooms or a place of isolation, the houses noted that it was more difficult to offer women the services they needed and to provide their security - not to mention the additional costs incurred,
which have eroded the already meager budgets of these organizations.
Public health regulations have made it harder for staff to clean up, reorganize spaces for physical distancing,
and make any changes necessary to deliver programs to residents.
Ms. Martin salutes the commitment of the staff of these houses, who have never stopped, their resilience, as well as their creativity.
They worked small miracles on a daily basis.
Fearing that abused women will not be able to leave their homes, shelters have notably offered remote support through various technological means: texting (more discreet), phone chats, video conferences - solutions that many want to keep in the dark. -beyond the pandemic.
Some houses prepared and served all meals for residents to avoid handling food and cooking utensils. Several emergency homes have indicated they will retain various health and safety practices such as pandemic planning,
storage of personal protective equipment and hand washing.
