There are no women’s shelters in the Almaguin Highlands.
Instead, the nearest shelters are in North Bay, Parry Sound, and Huntsville said Melanie Jolliffe, a social worker with the Almaguin Highlands Family Health Team.
She noted that if those shelters are full — and they often are — the next nearest shelter is in Orillia, which moves women “further away from their friends and family, and the children are separated from their school.” Additionally, the distance may be too great for commuting to work.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Jolliffe said. “Obviously our area is very rural and there are many (service) gaps. And this, in part, is what also puts them at risk — the more isolated they are, the more power their partner has.”
According to Jolliffe, it’s not unusual to have mothers not report they are victims of domestic violence, adding in these instances that if the victim reports the abuse, the Children’s Aid Society is automatically called.
Additionally, a victim may be concerned for the safety of a pet left behind or worried about their belongings.
“These are some of the reasons why women wouldn’t call the OPP,” she said.
Jolliffe said there are also women who won’t report abuse because of how it would look to their neighbours.
“They feel they need to be seen or be presented in a certain way in their communities,” Jolliffe said. “So, they don’t share what’s happened and that makes these women very vulnerable.”
In cases where the woman calls the OPP if they leave their home for their own safety and are taken to a shelter, even though the shelter is a safe place, they are re-victimized because they are no longer in their home, Jolliffe added.
Sometimes police will charge both people in a domestic violence matter.
“This could result in a no-contact order between both partners and that’s another issue because then they can’t communicate with each other about their children,” she said.
Furthermore, this type of court case could last many months.
Rebecca Paul, executive director of the Almaguin Highlands Family Health Team, said it is unknown just how prevalent domestic violence is.
“We have an idea of the numbers anecdotally since people do come forward and access services that help them, but I’m sure any data is far under-represented of the actual number. There are people who experience intimate partner violence and don’t seek support, and there are those who could seek support but don’t involve the OPP. So, it’s not a clear picture.”
Despite the rural nature of the Almaguin Highlands, Paul said there is support for victims of intimate partner violence.
The Canadian Mental Health Association and the Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services are two such organizations, although at times the individual has to travel a little to access those services.
Paul said the local family health team also offers mental health therapy and case management which can help victims navigate through the system as they try to access services. The family health team, Paul added, is “currently working on expanding our women’s programming.”
“One of our nurses is being trained on a perinatal mental health support program and we’ll be launching that soon,” Paul said.
Paul said the local family health team is also trying to create opportunities for staff to learn if women who come in for routine health screenings are also victims of intimate partner violence.
In cases where a victim calls the OPP and the woman is pulled from the home, Jolliffe said the police will call a crisis worker, who then starts reaching out to the community support services in the region, including women’s shelters. Oftentimes, she said, the police will drive the woman and her children to one of the shelters.
Helping victims
Jolliffe said one program that’s been a big help to victims of domestic violence is the Early On program offered by the district social services administration boards.
“In our area, Early On helps bring vulnerable, isolated women together to create a community to bring in some resources and support,” Jolliffe said.
“Some of this is just being able to listen to someone, validating what they say, and being a friend. I’d say this is one of the best resources in our community. Women who are experiencing domestic violence need a trusting environment where they feel safe.”
Jolliffe said with time, women who receive this kind of support become stronger and “the more trust they have with other people.”
As valuable and important as women’s shelters are, Jolliffe said there are fortunately local programs that help women start small businesses and help them move ahead as well.
“Once women start to feel more confident and can survive and support themselves and feel they’re connected to their community, then they feel they’re able to leave a really negative situation,” Jolliffe said.
“That’s more powerful than just simply pulling someone out of their home, putting them in a shelter, and making them more vulnerable.”
Despite the lack of shelters in the Highlands, Jolliffe said area churches are a very big help to women facing a crisis, as are friends and family.
Both women agree there is a huge service gap for vulnerable people. Paul went further, adding that even existing organizations that help women “are woefully underfunded.” Paul said for her, it comes down to where and how government funding is applied when an organization is fortunate enough to receive funds.
“Many organizations don’t receive government funding — and if they do, it’s just too low,” Paul said.
Friday, Dec. 6 was The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Women’s Own Resource Centre in South River held an open house.
Jessica Busch, the centre’s program manager, said the open house allows residents to learn about its programs, and its donation centre and to share stories.
Busch said the centre hears many stories from women across the Almaguin Highlands on how violence against women has impacted their lives. She added that, sadly, there are very few women who have not been impacted by violence.
The centre helps and supports women to gain economic independence through several services including entrepreneurial skills training and life skills training designed to help women achieve more confidence and self-esteem.
Visitors to the resource centre will find information from the Canadian Women’s Foundation that reveals one woman or girl is killed by violence every two days in Canada.
The most common form of violence against women is intimate partner violence.
Rates of intimate partner violence experienced by rural women are five times higher than for rural men and 75 per cent higher than urban women.
Two out of three women in Canada have either been a victim of abuse or know someone who has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
Some are at even higher risks, because of the additional discrimination and barriers including women with disabilities, Indigenous women, racialized women, non-binary people, and women who are homeless or under-housed.
The foundation's information states one of the most dangerous times for an abused woman can be when she tries to leave her abuser, with the result being a dramatic escalation of violence.
Busch said the resource centre gave out red carnations at the open house in remembrance of the 14 women murdered and the men and women injured at the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal on Dec. 6, 1989.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.