Three things you must know about family violence

The Today Centre is a first stop for anyone dealing with family violence. As a local Edmonton non-profit, we offer inclusive, non-judgmental support for any adult who is targeted by family violence. Through compassion, empathy, and listening, our trained and professional Family Violence Specialists can help clients navigate their risks and increase their safety through direction to appropriate legal assistance, exploring options for emergency shelters, providing education around family violence and its impact, and creating individualized safety plans catered to client needs. Providing these services can support someone experiencing family violence’s safety plan and increase their knowledge around family violence and existing supports. And to ensure we are available to anyone in need of help, our Family Violence Specialists are available to meet with clients online, over the phone, or in person at our location on the West end of Edmonton.

Alongside providing professional support to those who experience family violence, The Today Centre also offers public educational workshops with Monique, our Education Specialist. These workshops can be offered both in-person and over Zoom and vary in topics related to family violence. Our Educational Specialist offers introductory sessions on family violence, providing basic information on understanding stigmas associated with family violence, what to say to someone experiencing family violence, and understanding the different types of abuse, someone may be experiencing. She also offers workshops for service providers, presenting engaging training that gives service providers a basic understanding of family violence in four sessions. This training aims to develop skills to identify, respond, and support clients within their organization and community.

Here are three quick things The Today Centre can teach you about family violence:

• Family violence can affect anyone and everyone.
  
  • 1 in 3 women will likely experience family violence in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 4 men will likely experience family violence in their lifetime.
  • On average, every 6 days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner.
  • Each year in Canada an estimate 800,000 children witness a woman being abused.

Family violence isn’t discriminatory in age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or economic status, it can happen to anyone. It is important to understand that both males and females can be either perpetrators or victims of family violence and that there is no set relational stereotype in which that violence occurs because both heterosexual and homosexual relationships may be affected.

• Family violence isn’t just limited to the home.
  
  • 80% of people who experience family violence reported that their work experience was negatively affected.

Family violence is often experienced outside the home due to the behaviors of the abuser and the impact of abuse on the mental and emotional well-being of a victim. Abusers may approach workplaces known to the victim, stalking them, harassing colleagues, and repeatedly attempting to contact them while working. Further, abuse impacts a victim’s mental health, affecting their productivity, motivation, attention span, and engagement at work.

• Did you know that an estimated 70% of family violence victims do not report abuse to the police?

Often reporting abuse may lead to an escalation of abusive behaviors. Victims may be afraid to report incidents in fear of involving someone they do not know or trust, in fear of escalating their abuser’s reactions, or in fear of embarrassment. We don't hear about many incidents of abuse, which is why it is so important for others in our community to provide safe spaces for those experiencing family violence. This is because 80% of victims will reach out to informal supports like friends and family before reaching out to formal supports like The Today Centre.

The Today Centre values creating a safe space for those experiencing family violence. We do this by offering a quiet place for victims to come forward, listening with empathy, respecting the choices of our clients, and providing reassurance and emotional support. We recognize that sharing stories of abuse can be very difficult, and it may be hard to trust someone you first meet. This is why our Family Violence Specialists offer a short-term confidential connection that is client-directed over the span of four to six sessions. When our clients are ready to receive help elsewhere, we bridge the gap to other resources and make those connections for them, making the transition to other services easier. Our Family Violence Specialists are available Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, to connect with clients.

At The Today Centre, family violence help starts today.  

Tel: (780) 455-6880
Email: [email protected]
www.thetodaycentre.ca