Every November, we honour National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Canada, as well as Women Abuse Prevention Month in Ontario. At Nellie’s we believe that ending gender-based violence begins with understanding, which is why we think that awareness months are an important opportunity to spread the word about how we can work together to build a future free of gender-based violence.
68% of clients that come to Nellie’s are fleeing gender-based violence. This is why we continue to work tirelessly to ensure violence and oppression become a relic of the past.
Promoting awareness about this key issue can be confusing because of the many different terms that all fall under the umbrella of gender-based violence. This includes domestic violence, violence against women, and intimate partner violence — just to name a few. Gender-based violence is defined as the violence or abuse directed against a person because of their gender, or violence that affects a particular gender disproportionately.
Women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people are at a higher risk of experiencing gender-based violence because it is rooted in gender inequality and the abuse of power.
Gender-based violence includes all forms of abuse. It can be physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial, such as:
- Hitting, pushing, or blocking
- Stalking or criminal harassment
- Rape or sexual assault
- Control and manipulation
- Preventing access to money or bank accounts
- Neglect, like restricting food or other essentials
- Name-calling or body shaming
Although gender-based violence is often unseen, taking place in homes and private spaces behind closed doors, thousands of women and children live it every year. Despite the fact that organizations like Nellie’s have been fighting against gender-based violence for over 50 years, GBV is, in fact, increasing in Canada:
- 184 women and girls were killed by violence in 2022, up from 148 in 2019 (Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, 2020, 2021, and 2022)
- 65% of people know a woman who has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2023)
- 91,332 women and girls ages 12 and up reported intimate partner violence to police in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2022)
- 44% of women report experiencing some form of psychological, physical, or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (Statistics Canada, 2021)
- 28,787 women and adults of another gender (excluding men) stayed in a shelter for victims of abuse in 2020/2021 (Statistics Canada, 2022)
- 17,817 children stayed in a shelter for victims of abuse with one of their parents in 2020/2021 (Statistics Canada, 2022)
Nellie’s is working to dismantle gender-based violence by empowering women and advocating for systemic change. Our strength and support-based programming enables women to create a new path in life, free from the barriers of violence and oppression.
Support our work to help Nellie’s fight the gender-based violence epidemic in Canada — donate today.