Every six days, a woman is killed by an intimate partner in Canada, according to estimates, and now, a new online tool offers abused women a way to escape such lethal domestic violence.
There are shelters across Canada where women and their children can live and get counselling services and help dealing with legal, education and health issues. The services are also available to women who have sought shelter with family or friends.
‘A one-stop connection to…supports’
In a crisis situation, women need to get help quickly so an online tool has been created to make it easier to find. “Sheltersafe.ca is a one-stop connection to help connect women with shelter supports across the country,” says Lise Martin, executive director of the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses. “It’s a really crucial starting point for women who don’t know where to turn.”
The site has a map of Canada with 400 shelter approximately located. There is a limit to how close the site can zoom in to maintain the secrecy of the locations. But users can find shelters that are in their region as well as their 24-hour phone numbers and websites. The information is easy to access and will be continually updated.
‘A safety net across the country’
“We want to encourage women to make that first phone call to the shelter,” says Martin. “Often that’s the beginning of a very long journey. We want women to know that they’re not alone, that there is a safety net across the country that can help them.”
Partner violence costs billions yearly
Intimate partner violence costs Canada 7.4 billion dollars a year, says Martin quoting a 2012 study, adding that the economic case has been made to put more resources into trying to prevent it.
Besides offering access to shelters, she says more money should be made available to for safe and affordable housing for women fleeing abusive partners and there should be more work on prevention through raising public awareness about the problem.
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