(Saba Aziz/ Global News) — Women facing a spike in domestic violence in Canada amid the coronavirus pandemic need more support from the government and provincial authorities, shelter homes and experts say.
A new national report published by Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) on Wednesday to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, found an increase in the frequency and severity of violence against women since March, when public health lockdown measures were imposed in different provinces.
“COVID and the associated social isolation is kind of a perfect storm for domestic violence,” Katreena Scott, incoming director of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University, told Global News.
The higher burden of responsibilities at home, stress of the pandemic, a breakdown of the response systems in terms of courts and the police, as well as reduced informal support has exacerbated the problem for many women, she added. (…)