Annapolis Valley survey shows 81% of participants know a victim of gender-based violence

More than four out of five participants in an Annapolis Valley survey say they know a victim of gender-based violence.

Eighty-one per cent of the 265 respondents to the survey conducted by the Women's Place Resource Centre in Kingston, N.S, say they know a victim of gender-based violence. Twenty-four respondents said they were victims themselves. 

Questions about physical, emotional and psychological violence were posed to participants of the survey and results were reviewed in a community meeting held last week.

"We really found that people seemed to have an easier time identifying and intervening with the physical violence than they did with the emotional or psychological violence," Wendy Knowlton, the gender-based violence project co-ordinator at the resource centre, told CBC's Mainstreet. 

"It's a little more clear cut when you actually see the effects of physical violence. And then we also found that people had an easier time intervening if it was somebody who the other person didn't know very well." 

Knowlton said that the number of people who know a victim of gender-based violence is a bit higher than the national average, where two-thirds of people know a victim.

The survey was funded by the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women and available to participants in October and November in print form and online. 

'It's a good time for some solutions'

Results were reviewed amid a rise in intimate-partner violence in the province where six women were killed by their partners in a three-month span after the province declared it an epidemic this past fall. 

"I think that the response and the interest in the results of the survey has probably been prompted a lot by the women who have died because of domestic violence," Knowlton said. "So, it's definitely something that is front of mind for everybody … it's a good time to look for some solutions and some actions to take."

Justice Minister Becky Druhan, said earlier this week that the province is working to address the needs of organizations that help victims of intimate partner violence and to ensure resources are effectively communicated to victims. 

Education Minister Brendan Maguire said teaching about intimate-partner violence in schools is a priority for his department. 

But Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the government needs to provide more funding and housing in support of victims and accessible information about resources. 

"All of that needs to be acted on immediately," said Chender.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• A list of transition houses across Nova Scotia.
• Family violence resources helpline 1-855-225-0220.
• The Transition Housing Association of Nova Scotia website.
• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.