Region of Peel develops public campaign to battle domestic violence

February 27, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

In September of 2019 Brampton City Council passed a motion to work with the Region of Peel on battling domestic violence within the region.

Peel Regional Council unanimously agreed to work alongside with other municipalities within the region, as well as police, OPP and organizations dedicated to supporting victims to organize this public campaign at Regional Council on Feb 13.

“This public campaign is vital to the health and wellbeing of our community, if there is violence in the home the collateral damage to all aspects of life for that family are immeasurable,” said Ward 2 Regional Councillor Johanna Downey. “Impacts to a family include – not limited to – employment, education, mental health, physical health, trauma, addictions. Domestic or family violence does not have social determinants, our thinking around what is acceptable in our community has to change. In order to shift the behaviour of our community we have to broaden our reach through awareness and education.”

According to the Peel Committee Against Woman Abuse (PCAWA), every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. In 2009, 67 women were murdered by a current or former spouse or boyfriend, while approximately 3,000 women live in emergency shelters and a whopping 40,000 arrests made are domestic violence cases.

Half of women in all of Canada have experienced one incident, at the minimum, of sexual violence since 16 years of age.

The campaign is in the early stages of organizing initiatives but has been successful in the planning but

“It is early in the process and initial meetings have not yet taken place, but the template of communication and education that we have applied around human trafficking has been incredibly successful. The outcome being a joint housing pilot for survivors, a service hub, and training tools that can be shared with all stakeholders, private and public,” said Downey.

There have been two deaths due to domestic violence within Peel already in 2020. Police say in 2019, the five police forces in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) responded to more 47,000 domestic-related calls.

“My hope is that this campaign will create a greater alliance of social service providers, a united voice, a story made in Peel for the residents of Peel. We have countless front-line workers that provide critical access to supports for families in Peel; they have reached a boiling point noting 14 women and children murdered at the hands of a family member in the past year alone,” said Downey. “My hope is that our community embraces the campaign and continues the conversation in every coffee shop, class room, place of worship, and that we truly focus on the stability and wellbeing of our families.”

For more information, please visit peelregion.ca.