It’s a day of mourning, a day of remembrance, and a day of action.
On National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, advocates are speaking up, as gender-based violence continues to climb in Manitoba.
Angela Braun, executive director of Genesis House, an emergency shelter for Southern Manitoba families experiencing abuse, told Global Winnipeg it’s an issue that hits much closer to home than some might think.
In February, the province was shaken by the news that a man from the Carman area was charged with the murders of his common-law partner, their three young children, and his teenage niece, a series of events described by premier Wab Kinew as a “dark time” for Manitoba.
“I think most of the time, there is a sense in the community that it’s not happening here because it’s not front and centre,” Braun said.
“And I think that has been pulled back on this family and on this community and in our whole service area — that this is happening here, and in the most devastating way possible, where a whole family was lost to domestic violence.”
Braun said for many years, the statistic that was frequently cited was that once every six days, a woman or girl was murdered by a family member. Those numbers, she said, have increased dramatically.
“At this point, we’re talking about every other day. Every other day, a woman or girl is murdered in Canada by somebody that she should be able to trust,” Braun said.
“Those statistics are astonishing when you hear them. You think we must be talking about a different country. That can’t be Canada, but it is — it’s right here.”
An increase in violence and a dearth of resources for those in need can be a frustrating situation for those who want to help.
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Last year, Braun said, only 12 per cent of those who accessed services at Genesis House were able to secure housing on their own. In many cases, she said, they had to make the ‘devastating’ decision to return to abusive situations because they had no other options available.
“When people come into shelter, they’re coming on one of the worst days of their lives, and they’ve been told most of the time throughout the course of the abuse that they can’t leave, no one will believe them, they will not be successful,” she said.
“When they come to shelter and they find that housing is not materializing… things aren’t working out the way they’re supposed to, those messages come back. The messages come back to them where they think, ‘Yeah, he was right. I can’t do this on my own’.”
Tsungai Muvingi, the provincial coordinator for the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters, said it’s the same for support resources. Many of which are feeling overwhelmed.
“A lot of our shelters, they’re operating at overcapacity. We’re seeing average stays in our shelters that, you know, before the pandemic, it was an average of nine nights. Now we’re seeing, you know, a month or more,” she said.
Muvingi said some of the root causes for gender-based violence trace back to other social issues, including substance use, mental health, and lack of affordable housing.
Not to mention, many shelters are understaffed.
“We are finding it very challenging to have and to attract and keep qualified, qualified staff to be able to provide things like counselling, next step supports,” she said.
“When we take a look at where the wages are, we’re having to compete with fast food restaurants. And so that makes it that much more challenging.”
Manitoba families minister Nahanni Fontaine said Friday that while the provincial government has made strides toward improving the situation for women and girls in the province, there’s still a lot to be done.
“(I want) us to reflect on where things are at right now — what are the gaps in services and where do we go as a province, as a community of social services agencies that are on the front lines? Where do we need to go? What the vision next year, five years and 10 years down the road?
“I know for myself, as the minister responsible, I don’t want us to be constantly talking about this for the next 20 years,” she said.
And while the focus on a day like this is understandably on women, Fontaine said, Manitoba’s men also have an important role to play.
“It is really a day for men to reflect on this day and the role that they play in addressing, tackling and eradicating male violence,” Fontaine said.
“So, yes, as women, as the minister responsible, as an activist…of course, this day and every other day that we have that remembers violence or tries to address it, it’s something that I will continue to do. But really, today, in 2024, on the on the eve of 2025, it is for men to step up and do the work to address violence against women.”
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