Last week marked Prevention of Violence Against Women Week across BC. The week gave communities across the province the opportunity to join together and collectively focus attention on the issue of violence against women and children.
Education and raising awareness of the issue are steps that can be taken to prevent the violence that thousands of women and children in BC experience in their lives.
The facts about violence against women are staggering. 51 per cent of women in Canada will experience some form of abuse from a partner after the age of 16. Perhaps even more shocking is the fact that one in five women was pregnant when the violence occurred. Every year up to 360,000 children are exposed to domestic violence.
Nelson Community Services Centre Advocacy Centre (Nelson Cares) and police based victim services have partnered to bring Jackson Katz to the community for two events May 9 and 10. Katz is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in gender violence prevention and education.
Sixty-one per cent of adults in Canada say they personally know at least one woman who has experienced physical or sexual abuse.
There are services available for those who need them. Nelson Community Services Centre offers counseling for both women and children, and in addition, has a women’s outreach worker who offers practical support, accompaniment and resources to women within Nelson and the outlying area. Aimee Beaulieu Transition House, another program of NCSC, offers safe shelter and support services for women and children 24/7.
For more information on the Katz event call project coordinator Bill Reid at 250-352-3756 (office) or 250-509-1164 (cell).