Women Abuse Program

A women’s abuse program is a specialized counselling and support service designed to help women who have experienced domestic violence, abuse, or other forms of gender-based violence. These programs offer a safe and supportive environment for women to explore their experiences, and feelings, and develop coping strategies to manage the impact of abuse. Services provided in a women’s abuse program may include individual counselling, group therapy, educational workshops, safety planning, crisis intervention, and assistance with housing and financial resources.

 

The goal of a women’s abuse program is to provide comprehensive support to help women rebuild their lives and achieve long-term success. By accessing these services, women can gain control over their lives, overcome the trauma of abuse, and build a better future for themselves and their families.

Violence Against Women starts

Violence is always the responsibility of the abuser and is never justifiable. Violence against women transcends class, culture, race, and ethnicity.

 

  • 67% of all Canadians say they personally know at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted
  • On average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. In 2009, 67 women were murdered by a current or former spouse or boyfriend
  • Over half of Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16
  • On any given day in Canada, more than 3,000 women (along with their 2,500 children) are living in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence
  • Violence against women exists in all cultures, ages, religions, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds and income levels.  Our calls come from a range of socio-economic backgrounds who may not all access shelters but still require critical and immediate assistance
  • In just one year in Canada, 427,000 women over the age of 15 reported they had been sexually assaulted. Since only about 10% of all sexual assaults are reported to the police, the actual number is much higher
  • The cost of violence against women in Canada for health care, criminal justice, social services, and lost wages and productivity has been calculated at $7.4 billion per year

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING

Individual counselling works with the woman to assist her in healing from the impact of abuse and develop a safety plan for her and her family. The process starts with the woman and her counsellor making an assessment and identifying goals that will be worked on in counselling.

COUPLE COUNSELLING

This service is offered to couples where issues of woman abuse may have been identified at intake. It is a one-session assessment, taking up to two hours. The goals are to determine safety and to make recommendations regarding which services would be appropriate.

FAMILY COUNSELLING

Where issues of woman abuse have been identified and the parents have separated, services to the mother and children are usually offered through the Here to Help group program. Screening is done to assess suitability.

GROUPS FOR ABUSED WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN

 

  • Understanding Abuse
  • Here to Help
  • RISE

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

This is a peer-based support service provided by trained volunteer mentors to assist women receiving counselling for the impact of abuse. The service may be provided individually to the women to assist in breaking their isolation or in speaking engagements to the community to heighten awareness of woman’s abuse.

 

What should I do if I think I know someone being abused?

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or the emergency number in your community.

Put her safety first. Never talk to anyone about abuse in front of their suspected abuser. Unless she specifically asks for it, never give her materials about domestic abuse or leave information through voice messages or emails that might be discovered by her abuser. However, abuse thrives in secrecy, so speak up if you can do so safely.

If she wants to talk, listen. If she doesn’t, simply tell her she does not deserve to be harmed and that you are concerned for her safety and that there is help available. Ask her if there is anything you can do to help, but don’t offer to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or feels unsafe.

If she decides to stay in the relationship, try not to judge her. Remember, leaving an abuser can be extremely dangerous (depending on the situation). Sometimes, the most supportive thing you can offer a woman who is being abused is to simply listen to her.

We provide 24/7 crisis support in over 5 languages, completely anonymous, confidential and free of charge. We don’t have caller ID. and our number will not show up on your phone bill.

Fear, shame, income, cultural or familial pressures, immigration status and countless other realities make it difficult, or sometimes impossible, for a woman to leave and flee violence safely.

We provide:

  • Crisis counselling
  • Emotional support
  • Safety planning
  • Information and referrals for local shelters and legal or health-related resources

We exist to listen, support, counsel and empower with information.