Prince George amps up response to domestic violence

Statistics Canada reported the start of an upward trend in domestic violence at the beginning of the pandemic.

The most recent update on family violence in Canada showed the number of attempted murders of women by intimate partners was the equivalent of one every five days, and more than 155,000 cases of violence against women in households were reported to the police.

The trend has impacted organizations across the city, with the Crisis Center for Northern BC seeing 15% more calls in 2020.

“With Covid, what we’ve seen is that our primary issues are social isolation and anxiety in the North and with those two issues combined with pushing families to stay at home, there is a potential for an increase in domestic violence,” explained Riley Skinner, Program Coordinator of Crisis Center for Northern BC.

“We have attempted to up our coverage, meaning more responders and increased training by taking in volunteers and offering paid positions to those who are qualified.”

According to The Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC), every six days in Canada a woman is killed by her partner.

“Too many women in Canada are living in fear of current or ex-partners,” added the CRCVC, “and escaping violence is not easy, especially where children are involved.”