Tragedy frightening, traumatic for domestic abuse survivors: counsellor

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2024 (603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hearing news of family violence experienced by others can spark fear and trigger renewed trauma in survivors of domestic abuse, a Winnipeg counsellor says.

That’s exactly the sort of reaction that can arise out of Sunday’s shocking violence involving a Carman family. A mother, her niece and three children were slain. The children’s father is charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

“It contributes a tremendous amount of sadness and a tremendous amount of fear,” said Kara Neustaedter, manager of counselling services at Klinic Community Health.

The man charged, 29-year-old Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, lived with the five homicide victims together in Carman: his common-law wife Amanda Clearwater, 30, their three kids (two-month-old Isabella, four-year-old Jayven and six-year-old Bethany) and Clearwater’s 17-year-old niece, Myah Gratton.

Neustaedter said family violence thrives in secrecy and is a bigger problem than meets the eye.

“It’s really challenging to sit with people and bear witness to the danger that (victims) may be living in and knowing that the person who can keep them safe is also the one causing harm.”– Kara Neustaedter

According to Statistics Canada, Manitoba had the second-highest rate of intimate partner violence across the country, at a rate of 633 per 100,000 people in 2022.

Neustaedter said horrifying, tragic news is hard on people who provide support for victims, too.

“It’s really challenging to sit with people and bear witness to the danger that (victims) may be living in and knowing that the person who can keep them safe is also the one causing harm,” she said.

The downtown Winnipeg organization offers 24-hour crisis lines which can be vital to people experiencing violence, she said.

“The most important thing we can do is listen when someone is telling us that they’re afraid in their relationship or they are questioning whether what’s happening in their relationship is healthy or normal,” she said.

In July 2023 Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien announced the federal government would be spending more than $22 million over four years to support the implementation of its national action plan to end gender-based violence in Manitoba. The cash will be used to enhance support services for those impacted and initiatives to prevent harm.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca

Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole.

Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.