As two friends argue over a cancelled trip, they realize they are being watched.
Inside a home, the husband of one of the women is keeping an eye on her. Noticing this, the friend blames the husband's poor treatment of the woman for the lost holiday. The conversation ends, and the women retreats to the house.
This scene and others play out in a new video released today by the Nelson Police Department's Victim Services to mark Prevention of Violence Against Women Week. The video, titled "Relationship Violence: What everyone needs to know” and now available to watch on YouTube, shows examples of what intimate partner violence looks like and how victims can be supported by friends and family.
The video originates from the findings of a 2016 BC Coroners Service report on intimate partner violence. A panel reviewed 75 cases and 100 deaths between 2010-2015.
Nina Hamilton of Victim Services said a common theme in the panel's findings was that the partner violence was often known by others, but the cases still ended in a death. The new video offers information to survivors as well as their allies.
“It's not only to help the survivor understand outside of police where they can go for assistance, but also any bystanders, whether it be a colleague, family member, a friend, a neighbour, that this presentation aims to help them be able to recognize warning signs and respond appropriately.”
Victim Services, a three-person civilian team that supports people traumatized by incidences of crime, started the project in 2019 with funding from RCMP after it was selected as one of three B.C. pilot sites by the Neighbours, Friends and Family campaign. The goal was to address the coroners service's recommendations, which called for improved data collection on intimate partner violence, information sharing and a public education campaign.
Hamilton said Victim Services initially gave presentations to local businesses but didn't think they were effective.
Instead, the team partnered with Western University’s Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children, which was established in response to the murder of 14 women in 1989 at École Polytechnique de Montreal. The video is narrated by the centre's Margaret MacPherson, who helped Victim Services make their information more accessible.
According to Statistics Canada, only 20 per cent of people who experienced intimate partner violence in 2019 reported it to police. It's vital, Hamilton said, that friends, family and co-workers who spot signs of violence know how to help and which mistakes to avoid.
“If you see a loved one, somebody that you care about, in a relationship where you suspect there may be something otherwise going on, it's hard not to get emotional about that and reactive. This just reminds people that just because you see something doesn't mean that there is violence going on behind closed doors, but it may be a sign just to keep watch and observe what's going on.”
For women in need of assistance, the Aimee Beaulieu Transition House in Nelson can be contacted 24-7 at 250-354-4357. A text option is available at 778-608-3900, seven days weekly from 8:30 a.m. to midnight. An online chat and more information is available at https://www.servicesfyi.ca/aimee-beaulieu-transition-house/.
For residents outside Nelson, VictimLinkBC is a 24-7, confidential, multilingual service that can connect calls to various resources. It can be called or texted at 1-800-563-0808, or emailed at victimlinkbc@bc211.ca.
Women at immediate risk of harm should call 911.
