Highest rates of domestic violence in country belong to Sask
- EFN Staff | February 21, 2017
Saskatchewan remains the province in Canada with the highest rate of domestic violence, and Aboriginal people have higher rates of abuse compared to non-Aboriginal people. Neither statistic is surprising to a survivor of domestic abuse.
In a recent study from Statistics Canada, “among the provinces, Saskatchewan (480) and Manitoba (374) reported the highest rates of family violence, while Ontario (150) and Prince Edward Island (154) reported the lowest… 40% of Aboriginal people were the victims of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse, compared with 29% for non-Aboriginal people.”
Lani Elliot, a survivor of domestic violence from Regina, says it’s sad that Saskatchewan is still one of the leading provinces with the highest rate of domestic violence but says in a way it may be a good thing.
“Maybe it’s a good thing in the sense that more people are coming forward and reporting it,” she says. “I think that statistics are just numbers. Those are numbers that are reported incidents of violence. They’re not an accurate reflection of what’s happening. We don’t know what is happening behind closed doors…there are probably so many more that are not being reported.”
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Elliot speaks openly about her experiences with hopes of helping another woman who is facing domestic violence.
“It empowered me that I had a choice to make. I can either stay silent and live in that fear or I could use my experience to help other women.”
Elliot was abused by her ex-husband for four years. It started very subtle with the odd insult then led to isolation, keeping her away from family and friends, and controlling whom she couldn’t talk to and what she was allowed to wear.
“I was simply just existing. I lived in fear all the time…I no longer had friends. I no longer saw my family. I didn’t have a support system in place. It was a really scary place to be,” she says.
The ultimate act was when her ex-husband drove her out to the middle of nowhere under false pretenses that they were going grocery shopping.
“He assaulted me with a baseball bat. He did that in front of my child. I thought I was going to die,” she says. “It occurred to me that my children would grow up with him if he got away with it. I knew I had to get out.”
She kept her story hidden for the long time and strongly believes that silence protects violence. Although the domestic violence happened two decades away, the painful memories are still with her.
“It still affects me deeply even though it was that long ago. I continue to live with PTSD.”
She tells women they do have a choice when they are in a domestic abusive relationship.
“I know there are far too many women who live like that and live in that kind of fear. I feel for them and I want to help every single one of them.”
After she fled her abusive marriage, Elliot is grateful for the resources that were available to her at the time. She used services at the YWCA, the transition house, and stayed at the Qu’Appelle valley haven centre. She says there are resources that are needed for families of domestic violence such as programming and funding in place. Her message to women who are currently in domestic violent relationships is don’t be afraid to open up to others.
“Tell someone you trust. Getting out is never easy. Leaving a violent relationship is usually the scariest time of the relationship,” she says. “Sometimes it takes a few attempts to leave and that’s okay. Most often if he hits you once he will do it again.”
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 or at www.thehotline.org.