Changing the approach to family violence

Opinion

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This article was published 06/08/2024 (430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly half of the women in this country have experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lives. The number is even higher for Indigenous women — more than 60 per cent — and women living in rural areas are almost twice as likely to face domestic violence than those living in urban areas.

While few officials are calling it such, many others recognize it as nothing short of an epidemic. These numbers are staggering.

Talk to anyone who has ever experienced intimate partner violence and they will tell you it doesn’t just impact them, but the entire family. Children suffer in unimaginable ways, wearing scars well into their futures, many of whom repeat, or get stuck, in the cycle of violence that carries into the next generation.

According to the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, a child is exposed to a police-reported incident of intimate partner violence every two hours in our province. This kind of exposure is deeply traumatic, shattering their sense of safety and often leading to lifelong mental health challenges.

If we want to get a better understanding of why people with unmet mental health needs are taxing our emergency response services, why our hospitals and health providers are overwhelmed and can’t keep up with the number of patients experiencing deep psychological wounds, why cycles of violence are repeated, and why the number of people experiencing homelessness is growing, look no further than this report.

Kids growing up in unstable and unhealthy home environments are all too often doomed to repeat the cycle.

That’s why last week’s announcement of federal and provincial dollars toward ending gender-based violence was so significant.

Federal Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien was in Winnipeg announcing a second wave of funding, including resources for service providers such as Ka Ni Kanichihk, Clan Mothers and Blue Thunderbird Family Care.

These dollars not only go to help survivors, but to support the entire family.

It’s also important to note that many of the children in the CFS system are there because of intimate partner violence at home. During my time as families minister, I saw first-hand how often a mother would flee an unstable situation at home, only to land in equally dire circumstances where she and her kids were living in poverty, without stable housing, and no guarantees of being able to put a meal on the table.

Traditionally, these dire circumstances and instability would trigger CFS involvement. While well-intentioned in trying to protect the children, CFS involvement often leads to the further breakdown of the family, resulting in worse outcomes for the mother and her children. This is the main reason why many women stay in abusive relationships.

Reversing this trend will take a long time and a monumental shift in societal ways of dealing with family violence. Legislation and supports flowing from the families department has shifted in the last few years — starting under my former PC government and continuing with NDP Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine — to ensure poverty and domestic violence are not sole factors in child apprehension, and that more supports are available.

Blue Thunderbird Family Care is a Winnipeg organization that received additional dollars last week and is committed to family reunification. It is a life-changing resource for many Indigenous families experiencing crisis. Executive director Dana Arabe said they are using these new dollars to expand its grandmothers council that will helps break the cycle of family violence and offer guidance and support to those in need.

Blue Thunderbird also offers respite for families and is fast becoming known as an agency to turn to without fear of triggering CFS involvement where no protection issues exist. Their mandate is to preserve and reunify families and believe the best option for any child is to grow up in a healthy family environment.

Another interesting point from last week’s announcement by Ien and Fontaine was a commitment to enhancing services available to men and boys who are prone to violent behaviour. Addressing the underlying trauma that often leads to violence and providing ways to de-escalate and release tension is key. We cannot get rid of intimate partner violence simply by helping women and children alone.

When faced with an epidemic of intimate-partner violence in our province, these resources are never enough and will take time to yield results and stop generational cycles, but it’s a good step in the right direction.

Everyone working to family violence prevention deserves our support, especially the ministers who advocated for these much-needed dollars.

Rochelle Squires is a recovering politician after 7 1/2 years in the Manitoba legislature. She is a political and social commentator whose column appears Tuesdays.

rohelle@rochellesquires.ca