I know domestic violence has risen because of COVID-19. What is Canada actually doing about it?

A refresher on why and how gender-based violence is getting worse, and how we might go beyond funding to help.

Hey there, and welcome to the second issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Sam, one-third of the Supplement team! 

Each week, we pick a question submitted by you, our readers. If you’d like to submit a question for a future week — it can seriously be about anything — then email us at thesupplementnewsletter@gmail.com.

This week, we’re tackling this question: I know domestic violence has risen because of COVID-19. What is Canada actually doing about it?

TL;DR:

Domestic violence hasn’t only risen because of the pandemic — it has increased in severity as well. The federal government has thrown $100 million in funding at the issue, but experts and advocates say that financial aid and procedural changes will need to target locally and be ongoing to be truly effective.

Here’s our answer:

First, let’s get a little more context on the extent of this issue. 

Reporting on domestic violence that categorized it as a “crisis” in Canada began as early as March. In the early days of the pandemic, experts were already keenly aware that self-isolation directives were increasing the risk for women facing domestic violence. A national survey confirmed what we already knew in August: 82 per cent of respondents reported that domestic violence had increased and become more severe in their home. 

Recently, Brenna Owen, a journalist with the Canadian Press, spoke to managers at helplines for women experiencing violence in BC, Ontario and Quebec to better understand this crisis. Those managers have found that the urgency and severity of callers' situations has intensified. 

The situation can be even more dire up north, where individuals must travel the furthest to get to domestic violence shelters — 1 in 3 people in the territories live more than 100 km from the closest one.

Okay, so we understand that this is absolutely an issue. What comes next?

In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $40 million in funding, $26 million of which was slated for addressing the immediate needs of around 575 women’s shelters. Another $10 million went towards supporting 46 emergency Indigenous women and children’s shelters on reserves and in the Yukon.

On October 2, Trudeau announced an additional $50 million in funding. This time, it was $10 million for women’s shelters and sexual assault centres, $10 million to support organizations providing services related to gender-based violence to Indigenous people off-reserve, and $30 million for women’s organizations to support the delivery of gender-based violence supports. 

This is money that was needed before the pandemic began: an excellent CBC Investigates series on the subject found that women and children were being turned away from Canadian shelters almost 19,000 times a month as of November last year. Many victim services have had to adjust their available services due to isolation and distancing requirements. 

Advocates say that the money needs to trickle down to community organizations to be truly effective. And we can’t just throw money at the issue — a range of holistic social supports are necessary to ensure that as many people as possible feel comfortable disclosing or engaging in a dialogue about their situation and their options. (For instance, the rise of remote workspaces has created murky standards for employers, and we could be better supporting them in understanding their options and obligations.) 

The Violence Against Women Learning Network published some key recommendations for approaching the issue. For one, they want the collection of more robust data — frustrating, as the Canadian government has expressed that it currently has “no plans” to collect data disaggregated by race or ethnicity. They also want the government to integrate gender-based violence into post-pandemic preparations and long-term strategies for future outbreaks.

“[Gender-based violence] services such as shelters and sexual assault centres possess critical insight into the needs of survivors  … Their inclusion is essential at all levels of pandemic preparedness projects—municipal, regional, provincial/territorial, and federal,” reads the report.

Here’s a list of resources, crisis lines and shelters that span Canada from the Ending Violence Association. 

Here’s someone to follow:

Each week, we’ll be shouting out a journalist or writer to help expand your knowledge long-term. Whether you’re from BC or not, you should be following Jen St. Denis. Though a long-time journalist, St. Denis just recently joined The Tyee’s team as their new beat reporter covering the Downtown Eastside, the nexus of a complex set of social issues in Canada. 

Here’s a story to read:

After a pretty heavy edition, need a story that takes you out of your problems and into… well… something else? Read this Globe and Mail piece about the Canadian “Steve Jobs of the potato breeding world.” Humble beginnings, marketing gimmicks and celebrity chefs make this piece interesting until the very end. 

Bonus: hate-read this column.