‘More needs to be done’: local organization on preventing intimate partner violence

One local organization is adding its voice to the conversation about how to prevent tragic losses of life like the one that the City of Sault Ste. Marie experienced Monday night.

Five people including three children were found dead in what police in Sault Ste. Marie are calling a tragic case of intimate partner violence.

The three children were aged six, seven and 12. The community of Sault Ste. Marie are continuing to try and comprehend what happened in their city.

Jennifer Hutton is the chief executive officer of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and she said this is exactly why there has been over 45 municipalities in the province that has declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.

“These declarations are happening for a reason,” said Hutton. “They’re happening because those who are working in the field are seeing higher rates of domestic violence, they’re also seeing the level of violence that women are experiencing increase,” she said.

Hutton said that these are predictable but preventable deaths.
“As tragic as what happened in Sault Ste. Marie was, unfortunately these are predictable and preventable deaths,” she said. “We are seeing this stuff play out and it’s great to have these declarations happen and it’s good that there is a connection to these deaths to the public to say ‘this is because of intimate partner violence.”

Hutton said that connection isn’t always made.

“That doesn’t always happen,” added Hutton. “These deaths unfortunately are happening with a pretty regular level of frequency that people sometimes aren’t aware that intimate partner violence is at the root of these deaths. Awareness about this issue is growing which is also connected to this declaration but when we see things as tragic as what happened in Sault Ste. Marie, we know that action really is overdue.”

She added that whenever she hears about incidents such as the one on Monday, that she isn’t shocked anymore.

“Whenever I hear news as awful as what happened in Sault Ste. Marie, it’s sadness, it’s heart break, I feel for that community. It’s not shocking any more though. Last year in Ontario, there were 52 femicides in 52 weeks. A lot of people weren’t aware of just how often that is happening. It’s happening way too frequently and unfortunately firearms were involved. That is connected to intimate partner violence.”

When risk assessments are done for intimate partner violence, one of the first questions that the organization asks is ‘is there firearms that are available?’ because that greatly increases the risk.

“We know that the risk in rural areas can be even higher. So, unfortunately, this is not shocking. It’s another message that there needs to be way more that needs to be done and more funding is needed to be able to get at the extent of this problem.”

Hutton added that funding needs to be focused on prevention.

“That may be more funding for work with children, that may be more funding to get curriculums in schools so we aren’t seeing this cycle of intimate partner violence or domestic violence continue. Obviously, we have an epidemic and funding needs to go into the day-to-day services to manage what’s happening but concurrently with that, we also need funding focused more upstream and on more prevention methods.”

Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region runs programs like the youth education program and they have spent lots of time creating awareness and understanding around the complexities of intimate partner violence through their ‘She is Your Neighbour’ podcast.