November is the start of Canadian National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Our team is passionate about raising money and awareness for women’s shelters in our community and national domestic violence prevention programs. We are grateful to be aligned with Royal LePage which is the largest national contributor to the above causes through the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.
If you know someone who is in an unsafe situation, you can find resources online on the following websites:
ShelterSafe.ca is an online resource for women and their children seeking safety from violence and abuse. The clickable map serves as a quick resource to connect women with the nearest shelter that can offer safety, hope, and support.
Canadian Women’s Foundation supports grassroots projects across Canada and has a list of resources for those seeking support (linked here)
Do you know someone who is experiencing abuse and you don’t know what to do? Read below for what the Canadian Women’s Foundation recommends:
- Focus on the person being hurt. Your job is to support them. Make sure you are not putting your anger, shock, sadness, or fear first in the conversation.
- Remember that everyone copes with abuse differently. They may do things differently than you. That is okay. Be there to support them as they explore what works for them.
- Listen and let them lead. Instead of telling them what you would do or what they should do, ask them how you can best support them.
- Be judgment-free. Instead of saying “What did you do?”, “How did you make them mad?”, “Why don’t you leave?” or “You chose this relationship,” say: “It’s not your fault.” “I’m here for you.” “How are you doing right now?”
- Be patient and open-minded: abusive relationships are complicated, scary, confusing, and traumatic. Figuring things out takes time. You may need to have more conversations with this person. Don’t push. There is no one right answer, no quick fix, and everyone deals with these things differently.
- Refer them to relevant support services if they would like help.
