Family violence on the rise during pandemic: Calgary Domestic Violence Collective
Posted Nov 2, 2020 6:27 pm.
Last Updated Nov 2, 2020 6:28 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The Calgary Domestic Violence Collective (CDVC) said there has been a 23 per cent increase in the number of calls of people reporting family violence during the pandemic.
CDVC says the increase in calls has happened between the months of April and August.
There has also been an 83 per cent spike in their chat services.
In regard to actual reports of domestic violence calls to CPS, they are about ten per cent lower than the average which is just under 3,000.
Kim Ruse, the CEO of Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter believes the spike could be because of the lockdowns. She added the lockdowns have made it tougher for people to access supports or even leave abusive situations.
“People that would normally have a legitimate reason to be outside you know doing errands or working or whatever, those types of reasons have disappeared at the pandemic so we are seeing the way people are reaching out for help is very different and texting and chatting and emailing seems to be a bit more common.”
Anyone who is experiencing abuse or violence can access many agencies for support by going to the CDVC website or by calling 211.
