SAWCC Statement:
Commemorating the 31st Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre at École Polytechnique
According to data collected by the United Nations, violence against women and girls continues to be one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations. It takes place every single day, all over the globe, not discriminating across borders or cultures. Violence against women can manifest in a myriad of ways, including (but not limited to): domestic violence, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, honour killings, human trafficking, female genital mutilation (FGM), and child marriages.
Here at SAWCC, we deeply believe in and value women’s empowerment and autonomy, and we strive every day to work together with our team to be a resource that upholds these values and serves women and their families. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year and public health and safety measures, we were unable to organize an in-person commemorative event to honour the innocent women who lost their lives during the Montreal Massacre at École Polytechnique. This tragic event spoke volumes to the widespread issue of violence against women, and as we enter our tenth month of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on how violence against women continues to be an issue to this day, and affects many of our service-users.
Due to the pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, we can see that this past year has been exceptionally difficult for our service-users dealing with domestic violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially amplified the violence and abuse faced by women and girls forced to live with their abusers and now, due to the unprecedented circumstances, forced to remain indoors in lockdown as well. We have seen cases of domestic abuse and women seeking out help rise in the past few months.
In recent months we have been dealing with approximately 45 new cases of domestic violence; a much higher amount than we are used to, leading to both service users and service providers feeling overwhelmed. Due to the intersecting nature of domestic violence and child protection, our Youth Protection cases and involvement has increased as well.
These women are exhausted and express feeling trapped, as both indoors and outdoors they are unsafe and afraid. Being constantly surrounded by their abuser, as well as caring for their children, makes it difficult to seek out resources and help. They are in constant states of heightened stress, worry, and anxiety.
Some of the key issues our service-users are struggling with are:
- Financial stress and job layoffs
- Being forced to spend more time at home with their abuser
- An increase of controlling behaviour from abusers
- Children forced to spend more time at home, which is becoming an increasingly unsafe environment
- Women have a lack of privacy and support, and difficulty accessing resources
Although our centre remains open and operational, our team also faces unique challenges due to COVID-19, as our in-person services have drastically reduced. In order to reduce contact and adhere to public health and safety measures, our community workers are currently doing their best to provide virtual support services to women in need, however we acknowledge that this limits us in certain capacities. For example, we are no longer able to provide in-person accompaniment to other services and appointments. Additionally, providing virtual support comes with its own challenges, as many of our service-users are not tech savvy, and/or have a lack of space in their homes to speak with us privately and safely.
As we continue to navigate our way through this pandemic, our team at SAWCC will continue to work hard and serve the women of our communities. We will always stand for the values of sisterhood, empowerment, and community-building and as such, are proud to be a resource for South Asian women and families in Montreal.
We wish everyone health and safety during these unprecedented and difficult times, and we are always available to offer our support and services.
We are in this together.
In solidarity and support,
SAWCC Team
December, 2020