While this is Family Violence Awareness Month across the province, the people at St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) are working harder than ever all year-round to keep you safe, even while you are checking out their newly redesigned website.
When you visit www.stopabuse.ca one of the first things that you should notice is the big red button with an exclamation mark on the right hand side that reads “LEAVE THIS PAGE”.
SAIF’s executive director Doreen Slessor explained that if you’re in an abusive relationship, keeping your online activities a secret might be very important in order for you to get the help you need.
“It’s called the escape button,” she began, adding that her organization has wanted to add the feature for a few years now. “That is so key because the lethality risk and the risk of serious danger is highest when someone is thinking of leaving or actually leaving. It’s so important that [the abusive person] they not know because your risk is much greater.”
The site even goes into further detail about this topic on the blue ‘COVER YOUR TRACKS’ button right under the red button. It explains that “When an abusive partner discovers that the victim is obtaining resources, learning that domestic violence is wrong, threatening to leave or planning a getaway, the abuse can and most often does increase.”
You can also learn about other ways to keep your computer activities hidden by locating and clearing your web browser histories.
Slessor said that this time of year is generally when SAIF sees a rise in people seeking help with domestic violence but February is their peak period. That’s when the financial stresses of the credit card bills from Christmas come in the mail. They can even tell that the website gets accessed the most on Mondays around 3 p.m.
“We’re interpreting that something has happened on the weekend and these people are looking for resources and information at that time.”
Other features of the website include descriptions of all of SAIF’s programs and services, including its comprehensive 22-week children’s psycho-educational program called New Directions. You can also learn more about how the different forms of abuse are defined including the non-physical forms like emotional and psychological abuse. Some examples include when your abusive partner is mocking you, constantly interrupting you when you try to speak or saying that he or she is always right.
SAIF is located on the fourth floor of the Grandin Park Plaza tower located at 22 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue. Call 780 460-2195 or email [email protected] for more information.
