Regional Council approves motion declaring intimate partner violence as epidemic

Regional Council approved a motion on Wednesday that states intimate partner violence (IPV) is an epidemic in the region.

A delegation had been planning their presentation since June and included Waterloo Regional Police (WRPS) and partners in the Family Violence Project.

From 2012 to 2022, the Waterloo Regional Police Service responded to more than 66,000 calls involving intimate partner violence. That amounts to an average of 6,600 per year and 17 per day.

In addition to that, 35,754 charges have been laid by police in cases involving IPV in the same 10-year period.

“Like every other community in Ontario, and across Canada, intimate partner violence lives here,” said Amy Hachborn, staff sergeant of WRPS Intimate Partner Violence unit. “Each day its harsh realities are brought to bear on our citizens. It destroys families, ruins lives and livelihoods, and causes trauma that can last a lifetime, and extend beyond a generation.”

Several other municipalities across Ontario have also declared IPV as an epidemic.

Jennifer Hutton is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and shared some reasons why declaring IPV an epidemic is important.

“We start with awareness, I think awareness is growing, and then move more to action,” she said. “I think the biggest thing is for far too long it’s been a personal matter and people weren’t talking about it.”

On top of the amount of police calls, the delegation also pointed out the large number of people who use local services and shelters. Additionally, 30 to 70 per cent of victims do not seek help nationally.

“It’s a structural problem, it’s a social problem, that’s why it’s so important that everyone has a role in ending it because it is unfortunately so big,” Hutton said.

Council approved the motion at a Community and Health Services Committee. Part of the motion includes integrating IPV into the Region’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan.

“The incidents of violence are extremely underreported, and this violence actually thrives in the silence,” said Coun. Pam Wolf. “If we do not name the problem, it will not begin to be solved.”