Tim Collins/News staff
October has been declared Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and according to Stephanie Melnyk, the victims services coordinator for the Revelstoke Community Resource Network(CRN), the question of awareness is only part of the battle. The real challenge stems from what one should do when they become aware of abuse.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation reports that all Canadians pay a steep price for violence against women. It’s estimated that Canada spends some $7.4-billion annually to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone, and that figure does not include violence against children, seniors or others.
On any given night about 3,500 women and 2,700 children sleep in shelters because it isn’t safe at home. In Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner about once every six days.
For Melnyk, the solution starts with recognizing abusive situations in your community and knowing what to do abut it. That’s why the CRN has embarked on a program to train community members, particularly those who come into contact with the public on a regular basis, to do exactly that.
“We call it gatekeeper training. It started a few years ago with funding from the Columbia Basin Trust and it has continued through grants from the trust as well as funding from the credit union, and others,” said Melnyk.
“Basically we go into places of business and we provide their employees with training to recognize spousal abuse, child abuse, elder abuse and self neglect. We tell them how to intervene in a supportive, non-invasive way but in a way that ensures that the person is put into contact with the appropriate agency. That could be the women’s shelter, the police, or any of a number of social agencies.”
The program has become standard training for bank tellers, said Melnyk, as financial abuse of the elderly has become far too common. She pointed out that bank tellers might also see other signs of abuse or neglect as well, and are now trained in what actions they can take.
But the training doesn’t stop with bank staff. Professions like hair dressers, teachers, pharmacists, grocery clerks…just about anyone who has regular contact with the public can benefit from the training.
“We went into the local pharmacy and trained their management and staff and many of them were happy to get the training. The thing was, they weren’t surprised with what we were telling them and many of them had seen signs of abuse over the years and not known what to do,” explained Melnyk.
More information on the CRN can b obtained by calling the Revelstoke Women’s Shelter (250-837-1111) or by going to
revelstokesocialdevelopment.org.