Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Introducing the Violence Intervention Program: You Can Help a Loved One in Need By Juspreet Gurm, Member, NEVR & Balbir Gurm, Founder/Facilitator, NEVR

Jaspreet Gurm & Dr.Balbir Gurm Darpan, 27 May, 2022 04:25 PM
  • Introducing the Violence Intervention Program: You Can Help a Loved One in Need  By Juspreet Gurm, Member, NEVR & Balbir Gurm, Founder/Facilitator, NEVR

Relationship violence affects all genders, sexual orientations, income levels, ages (infants, children, adults, and seniors), ethnic or cultural backgrounds, and functional abilities (including people with physical or mental disabilities). If you have ever known someone who has been in an abusive relationship, we don’t need to convince you of the devastating effects this can have on individuals, entire families, and communities. When the person causing harm is someone the victim knows and maybe even loves, violence and abuse can cause feelings of shame, confusion, and helplessness for the victim; and take on new levels of danger.

When the victim is a child, they can be unaware that the violence they are experiencing is wrong and end up in abusive relationships as an adult because they learned as a child that they did not deserve to be safe. Children who experience abuse and children who witness abuse are at risk of greater mental and physical health issues as adults. Abuse as a child is linked to increased risk of suicide. This is true for all kinds of abuse; physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, and spiritual abuse. Signs of abuse can range from obvious behaviours like beating or sexual assault, to constant insults, controlling the victim’s behaviour, preventing them from practicing their religion, and preventing them from working or forcing them to work and then taking their hard-earned money. Abusers can spend years isolating their victim from all of their friends, family, and other social supports; reducing the victim’s self-esteem, and making them feel like the abuse is their fault. 

In Canada, about 1 in 3 adults report experiencing some kind of abuse as children; 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience relationship violence in their adult lives; and 1 woman is killed by an intimate partner every 6 days. Some estimates put these statistics at an even higher rate. The bottom line is: It is all but guaranteed that every single one of us knows multiple people who have experienced relationship violence in their lives. 

 

This all sounds very depressing, but there is hope! The first thing you need to know is that help exists, no matter what the situation. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General funds many support programs for survivors of violence including the VictimLinkBC helpline and Community-Based Victim Service programs. This means a victim of violence does not have to go to the hospital or call the police in order to get help. This is really important because we know many victims are hesitant or afraid to report to police. If you are experiencing any kind of abuse, please know that you are not alone and the abuse is never your fault! You can call VictimLinkBC for support at 1-800-563-0808. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in over 150 languages and serves the whole province. VictimLinkBC can help you if you just want to talk, connect to services in your community, and strategize on how to stay safe.

According to Statistics Canada (2018), only 20% of women who experienced a physical assault accessed victim supports like helplines, crisis centres, social workers, counsellors, and psychologists; and only 7% of men who experienced a physical assault accessed these services. This means that survivors of violence are not only hesitant to report to police, but are also hesitant to access services. There are millions of people in Canada who have dealt with serious assaults and abuse without any professional support. 

You can help change this! The Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR) is conducting free Violence Intervention Program (VIP) training on how to recognize abuse, safely intervene, and connect survivors with resources. You can help keep your loved ones and community members safe. NEVR ishappy to train organizations that provide services for people (i.e. hairdressers, librarians, servers, teachers, coaches, nurses, media organizations, etc.), and also any member of the community that would like to champion anti-violence. Participants will also have the opportunity to practice the skills learned in class by applying them to imagined scenarios. By the end of the 3-hour training, participants will feel more confident to support a victim through all of the challenges that they face. 

In the VIP training, participants will learn: common signs of each of the forms of abuse, what to say and what never to say to a victim (hint: never tell the victim the abuse is their fault and do not tell them they have to leave the relationship), how to help them strategize around safety and create a safety plan, and what services are available to help them if/when they decide they are ready to reach out. Do you know what a victim can do to stay safe after they’ve left the relationship? If they choose to stay in the relationship? Where can they get financial support if they don’t have a job and need to leave? Where to find help if the abuser is their immigration sponsor? Is it better for the children if the parents stay together? If the abuse was a long time ago can you still get help? What happens if they report to the police? Will they have to testify in court? What if the victim doesn’t speak English? How can they keep their kids safe? There are a lot of questions, and survivors of violence don’t deserve to be alone to find all of the answers.  

If you would like to learn the answers to these questions and more, please email NEVR@kpu.ca or call 604-599-2267. We know survivors of violence can be hesitant to reach out to services or report to police. This is why every one of us needs to step up to support survivors of violence in their time of need. Everyone deserves to be safe. You can make a difference, take the free VIP training!

MORE Life ARTICLES

Be Bold, Fun And Chic This International Yoga Day

Be Bold, Fun And Chic This International Yoga Day
This International Yoga Day that falls on Thursday, redefine your yoga wear with bright colours and prints as Bollywood actress Malaika Arora lists down the ideal outfit to opt for during the workout session.

Be Bold, Fun And Chic This International Yoga Day

How 'Helicopter Parenting' Can Affect Your Kids

How 'Helicopter Parenting' Can Affect Your Kids
Do you hover around your children in everything they do and guide them? Beware, it can negatively affect your kid's ability to manage his or her emotions and behaviour later, and may also affect his or her academics, according to researchers.

How 'Helicopter Parenting' Can Affect Your Kids

These Books Have Inspired People to Commit Crimes

These Books Have Inspired People to Commit Crimes
Can thrillers inspire people for committing crimes in real life?

These Books Have Inspired People to Commit Crimes

Book Review: The Wrong Turn – Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji

Book Review: The Wrong Turn – Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji
A great read for lovers of historical fiction and those who have a keen interest in fiction that is thrilling, captivating, suspenseful and meaningful in many ways.

Book Review: The Wrong Turn – Love and Betrayal in the Time of Netaji

Drink Coffee For Better And Efficient Team Work

Finding it hard to make your team together? A cup of coffee may work as magic and help people remain more alert as well as work together as a team, say researchers including one of an Indian-origin.

Drink Coffee For Better And Efficient Team Work

Poha For Weight Loss, Dieticians On Why It’s The Healthiest Indian Breakfast

Poha For Weight Loss, Dieticians On Why It’s The Healthiest Indian Breakfast
Trying to lose weight and stay fit? If you are looking for a healthy weight loss diet, you could consider poha for breakfast. It is a good source of carbohydrates, is packed with iron, is rich in fibre, and is a good source of antioxidants and essential vitamins.

Poha For Weight Loss, Dieticians On Why It’s The Healthiest Indian Breakfast