Women’s Shelter aims to reduce service gap in rural communities

It’s up from 25 during the same time period in 2018, and up from nine the detachment responded to during the same time period in 2014.

S/Sgt Sean Maxwell with Redcliff RCMP says the increase is concerning.

“These are not criminals who are travelling into Redcliff and Cypress County, these are people who are residing here as families,” he said during a recent interview.

Maxwell says there are a number of reasons the calls for domestic violence could be going up.

“You can point to a lot of different societal issues, whether it be the economy, whether it’s substance abuse, or people are more comfortable reporting it,” he said. “Are they calling in for their neighbours, are they calling for their family members? As opposed to trying to handle it themselves, like I know has been done in the past.”

According to a 2017 report by Statistics Canada, higher rates of police-reported family violence were found in rural areas, compared to urban areas.

The Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society says, while the majority of the calls they receive are from Medicine Hat, they also help women in rural communities, including Bow Island and Oyen.

Executive director Natasha Carvalho says rural residents experiencing family violence face additional challenges.

“I think family violence can always be so isolating when you’re experiencing it, and I think it’s compounded by the physicality of being in a rural area, where there is not neighbours, and not neighbours nearby, or lack of transportation, things like that, it just compounds the issue and the risk,” she said.

Maxwell says they partner with local victim assistance agencies, and adds several members of the Redcliff RCMP are trained to investigate domestic violence.

“We’re making sure that when we get things, that they are fully investigated, and we are following up with people, victims of domestic violence,” he said. “We know that there is not a simple solution for these things. In some cases, these are crimes that have been going on for decades. We need to come in and help people solve things.”

Carvalho says the Women’s Shelter is grateful for the partnerships they have with police and community organizations. She adds the shelter has been out to rural communities and schools, educating people and letting them know there is help available.

“I think so many times, women in those situations feel like they don’t have any options, so they stay in those situations, and when there’s children involved, that just makes it riskier,” she said. “We hear in the news all the time about those situations. We just want people to know that you don’t have to stay in that unsafe situation, we will get you out, work on getting you out of there, and the support you need.”

If you or someone you know is in need of support for a family violence situation, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society Help Line is available at 403-529-1091 or toll-free at 1-800-661-7949.

by Charles Lefebvre

Women’s Shelter aims to reduce service gap in rural communities

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