November 25th is the International Day of Violence Against Women and Girls and is meant to raise awareness regarding women subjected to domestic violence and abuse. In support of the promotion of awareness, we have written a blog focused on these important themes that affect many women in Canada today.
Section 2 of the Divorce Act defines Family Violence as any conduct, whether or not the conduct constitutes a criminal offence, by a family member towards another family member, that is violent or threatening or that constitutes a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour or that causes that other family member to fear for their own safety or for that of another person and in the case of a child, the direct or indirect exposure to such conduct. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, threats to kill or cause bodily harm to any person, harassment, the failure to provide necessaries of life, psychological abuse, financial abuse, threats to kill or harm an animal or the damaging of property.
Children can experience family violence in different ways such as having violence and abuse that is directed at them, witnessing or being at ear shot of someone being violent towards another.
Not all family violence looks the same. Relationships with patterns of coercive control requires the strongest interventions.
The period right after separation is dangerous for victims of violence. It is at this time that the abusers seek to reassert their power and control. Some abusers believe they need to punish the woman for leaving.
It is important to have a safety plan in place prior to taking any steps. You can turn to community supports to assist you with creating a safety plan if you are planning to leave an abusive relationship.
It is also helpful to turn to your support network of family, friends, religious leaders, coaches and community workers during this time.
At INB Family Law, we aim to ensure that those impacted by domestic abuse and intimate partner violence feel both safe and supported when seeking our team’s assistance with their family law matters.
If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please contact us to book a consultation or to learn more.