Bringing Light to Dark Places: An initiative tackling the issue of domestic violence through awareness and engagement in the Kamloops community.
How does domestic violence affect me? and Why is it an issue? Domestic violence is an issue that is everywhere, yet often remains unseen. Intimate partner violence has no borders and is not unique to one particular population. Violence exists in many forms such as physical and verbal abuse, emotional manipulation, financial abuse, threats, and much more. The victims are typically women who often f
eel as though they are living in isolation. Deaths related to domestic violence in our area have increased two fold within the past year; thus, it is essential that we address this issue. Research shows that, although domestic violence exists across all demographics, the victims are primarily female and the perpetrators are generally male. Females represent 80% of those who are victimized by domestic violence. A report by the BC coroners service (2014) shows that 4 out of 14 homicides related to domestic violence, in the province, were in the interior: the highest rate out of any region in the province. According to Kamloops Victim Services there were ninety-eight new cases of spousal assault in 2013, and 2008 ongoing counselling sessions for sexual assault and domestic violence victims in the Kamloops area in 2014. The RCMP reported 937 files created around domestic violence in 2014 alone. The community must be engaged in order to make any kind of impact on this issue. Each year in Canada, 40,000 arrests are made due to domestic violence, but only 22% of incidents are actually reported so the prevalence is really much higher. This goes to show that a community must stand together in order to see these numbers decrease. Through public awareness, we can strive to have healthy communities that will be integral to the prevention of domestic violence. White Buffalo's mission is to provide information and education to the community around this issue. An important part of breaking the cycle around abuse is for the community at large to recognize that this is a prevalent problem and help to create change. White Buffalo's goal for the community is to take a stand, make a pledge and take action to end violence against women.
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