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Violence Against Women

A mother and daughter speaking with a doctor

The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."^[1] Women may experience physical, sexual, emotional^[2]or financial^[3] abuse.

Why is this important?

Violence against women has negative effects on physical health, mental health and economic wellbeing. Women who have been physically or sexually abused may experience many symptoms including migraines, low energy, sleep problems, chronic pain and hypertension. They may also experience anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.^[4]

Violence against women can lead to lost wages and food insecurity. Women who experience violence often become isolated from friends and family and may develop negative health practices and coping skills.^[5]

Survivors can be supported to increase safety and decrease harm with access to client-centered services and programs, housing, evidence-based therapeutic interventions, and first-responder and legal protections.^[6]As a community, we can start to address the root causes of violence against women by not condoning abuse in any form, encouraging women's independence and decision-making in all aspects of their life (public and private), challenging gender stereotypes, supporting positive and respectful interactions across all genders and ages, and normalizing gender equality.^[7]

Use of Violence Against Women Services and Programs

Violence against Women services and programs are mandated to provide supports for women who have experienced abuse. Looking at trends in service use gives information about the need for these services and supports, but does not capture the overall prevalence rate of violence against women.

Use of Services at Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis

This measure presents information about people who accessed services at Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis (WIC) for issues related to abuse and sexual violence. Anonymous information from client files was aggregated to create program level statistics that provide information about use of services.

Key Findings

From 2015 to 2021, the number of women who accessed services at WIC ranged from 928 to 1430. This was an average of 1198 women per year. The number of children who accessed services ranged from 28 to 80, with an average of 60 children per year. The number of calls made to the WIC crisis line ranged from 2144 to 3247, with an average of 2916 calls per year.

The number of women and children who accessed services at WIC was lowest in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of calls to the crisis line during these years was similar to pervious years.

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*The data presented is per fiscal year, which goes from April 1 through March 31. The year refers to the start of the fiscal year. For example, 2021 includes data from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.

Source: Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 2022). Annual Report. https://gwwomenincrisis.org/about/agm-and-audited-statements/

Limitations

There is no way to count the number of people who are not accessing services, but who are experiencing issues related to violence. The total number of calls to crisis line is not the total number of unique individuals who used the crisis line. A person who called the crisis line more than once was counted each time they called. There is also no way to verify whether clients who accessed WIC services and also accessed programs at Compass Community Services.

Looking for more information?

For more information about this measure please download the excel file below.

Download Full Dataset

Use of Violence Against Women Program at Compass Community Services

This measure presents information about people who accessed the Violence Against Women program at Compass Community Services. Anonymous information from client files was aggregated to create program level statistics that provide information about use of services.

Key Findings

From 2012 to 2021, the number of women who accessed the Violence Against Women program at Compass Community Services ranged from 153 to 269. This was an average of 230 women per year.

Between 2012 and 2021, the number of women and children who accessed the Violence Against Women and Child Witness programs were lowest in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Source: Personal Correspondence. (2022). Compass Community Services.

Limitations

There is no way to count the number of people who are not accessing services, but who are experiencing issues related to violence. There is also no way to verify whether clients who accessed Compass Community Services programs also accessed Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis Programs.

Looking for more information?

For more information about this measure please download the excel file below.

Download Full Dataset

References

[1] UN Women (2012). Defining Violence against Women and Girls. Available at: http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/295-defining-violence-against-women-and-girls.html

[2] Disrespect NoBODY (n.d.) What is Relationship Abuse. Available at: https://www.disrespectnobody.co.uk/relationship-abuse/what-is-relationship-abuse/

[3] Personal Correspondence: J. Young Evans, Family Counselling and Support Services For Guelph-Wellington.

[4] Chrisler, J. C. and Ferguson, S. (2006), Violence against Women as a Public Health Issue. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087: 235-249

[5] Morris, M. (2016). Acting on Violence against Women is a Blueprint for Health. Canadian Network of Women's Shelters and Transition Homes and YWCA Canada.

[6] Niolon, P. H., Kearns, M., Dills, J., Rambo, K., Irving, S., Armstead, T., & Gilbert, L. (2017). Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across the Lifespan: A Technical Package of Programs, Policies, and Practices. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[7] Our Watch, Australia National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROW)S) and VicHealth (2015) Change the Story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia. Melbourne, Australia. Available at: https://www.ourwatch.org.au/getmedia/0aa0109b-6b03-43f2-85fe-a9f5ec92ae4e/Change-the-story-framework-prevent-violence-women-children-AA-new.pdf.aspx