“Several helplines for women experiencing violence at home are reporting dramatic increases in calls since public health measures aimed at fighting the spread of COVID-19 came into effect last spring. The urgency and severity of many callers’ situations have also intensified, said Angela MacDougall, the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services based in Vancouver. ‘What women are saying is that it’s like a pressure cooker in the house and there isn’t a valve,’ she said in an interview. The United Nations has called violence against women and girls a ‘shadow pandemic’ as the COVID-19 crisis fuels social isolation and tensions caused by concerns over health, safety and financial security.”
— via Calls to Canadian domestic violence helplines jump during pandemic (CTVNews).
Family Practice Residents may want to learn more about their local services providing assistance for women and children. SARA (Support, Acceptance, Resources, Action) is a feminist non-profit society providing safe refuge and community-based resources for women in Mission and Abbotsford. This includes counselling, outreach programs, The Warm Zone, and transition and long-term housing. They promote and support women’s efforts to achieve domestic, political, and social equality.
Visit SARA.
UBC Family Practice Residency Program: Abbotsford-Mission Site 