During the COVID-19 pandemic, women and children are at greater risk of violence in the home.

If you or someone you know does not feel safe at home, there are resources and services available to help.

Click a link below to learn about resources and services available in your area during COVID-19:

Nipissing District 

Parry Sound District

• CALL 911 IF YOU ARE IN DANGER
• Connect with a local shelter, staff can provide you with outreach services
• Create a safety plan
• Carry your charged cell phone with you
• Find a safe room in your house

There are resources and services available to assist:

For consent to happen, each person should be:

• Of age, awake and aware (e.g., not impaired by drugs or alcohol)
• Free to make their own choices. This means that no person should feel intimidated, pressured, threatened or forced.
• Asking the other person’s consent to do each activity (e.g., Is this okay? Do you want to go any further? Do you want to slow down? Do you like this? Are you comfortable?)
• Giving enthusiastic consent to do each activity using words and actions
• Actively participating

Flirting, accepting a ride or a drink, or dressing a certain way does not mean consent can be assumed. Consent should never be assumed. Consent is a clear and enthusiastic “yes”! Silence, a “maybe” or a nod is not enough. If someone looks nervous, or seems unsure or uninterested, sexual activity should stop.

Forcing a person to do a sexual activity (e.g., sexual touching, kissing, intercourse) is a form of sexual assault and is a crime. 

Get consent every time

Getting consent is needed every time, no matter how long you have been together (e.g., married for 30 years). A person has the right to decide what is right for them and what they want to do with their body.

A person may:

• Change their mind to a “no” with words or actions, even if they said “yes” earlier
• Say “yes” to one thing and “no” to another
• Say “yes” one time and “no” the next time

If someone cannot give consent (e.g., because of substance use or age) then it is not consent, even if they said “yes.”

How to support someone experiencing IPV

Everyone has a role to play to end violence. If you think a family member, friend or neighbour is being abused, learn more about how you can help. If you are supporting another person, it is important that you also take care of yourself. You may experience a secondary type of trauma, called vicarious trauma.

IPV and the 2SLGBTQ+ Community

IPV happens in gender and sexual diverse communities. With the added social and legal stigma faced by the 2SLGBTQ+ community, IPV can look a bit different. To learn more, visit: 

https://www.bwss.org/support/lgbtq2s/ (Battered Women's Support Services)

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2019001/article/00005-eng.htm (Statistics Canada)

https://ccgsd-ccdgs.org/prevention/ (The Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity)

IPV and Indigenous Communities

Violence in Indigenous communities is a direct result of colonialism. Colonialism has and is still forcing patriarchal views and disrupting Indigenous cultures and ways of living. Indigenous children were sent to residential schools, which cut off generations from their cultures, values, families and communities. These children experienced physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. Taken from their homes, children were not able to experience the love, support and teachings of their families. The devastating impact continues to affect Indigenous communities today.  

Indigenous women face IPV by a spouse at a rate that is three times higher than for non-Indigenous women (Justice Canada, 2017). Traditionally, however, women are highly respected in Indigenous communities, considered the givers of life and the first teachers of children. 

To learn more about IPV in Indigenous communities:

http://www.vawlearningnetwork.ca/our-work/issuebased_newsletters/Issue-25/index.html (Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children)

https://www.onwa.ca/reports (Ontario Native Women's Association)

http://www.talk4healing.com/ (Talk 4 Healing)

Consequences of IPV

IPV results in poor health outcomes. IPV victims may experience mental health issues, poor physical health and increased risk behaviours, such as:

Mental Health Issues

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Feelings of guilt or shame
• Self-harm and suicide
• Sleep disorders
• Low self-esteem

Poor physical health

• Cardiac symptoms such as hypertension and chest pain;
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular (heart) disorders
• Chronic pain
• Respiratory (breathing) conditions
• Viral infections (e.g., cold and flu)
• Gynecological problems (e.g., sexually transmitted diseases, fibroids, pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, urinary tract infection)
• Gastrointestinal problems due to stress
• Reproductive problems
• Diabetes

Increased risk behaviours

• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Unsafe sexual behavior

Other

• Difficulty maintaining a job
• Difficulty trusting others

The types and severity of health outcomes can depend on the length of time and severity of the violence experienced.

IPV has negative effects on the whole family. The effects can be profound and long lasting. Children who are exposed to violence in the home are two times more likely to have behavioural problems (e.g. bullying and aggressive behaviour, limited social skills, risky behaviour), and psychiatric disorders (e.g., severe anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, bed-wetting) compared with children from non-violent homes. Later in life, these children are at a higher risk of substance abuse, juvenile pregnancy, criminal behaviour and social isolation.