Local agencies are putting a positive spin on a recent survey revealing one in 10 males think it’s OK to assault a woman if she did something to anger them.
The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ survey Men’s Attitudes and Behaviours Toward Violence Against Women questioned 1,000 adult males in February of this year to reach its findings.
“The interesting thing is that everyone seems to be focusing on, that one in 10 males think this is okay, but in reality, it means nine in 10 males think it isn’t,” said St. Albert RCMP Cpl. Laurel Kading.
“Our hope in society is of course, that we can come to the point where 100 per cent believe that it’s not OK to have violence in your relationship in any form. We have work to do but we obviously have a lot to celebrate,” she said.
The St. Albert RCMP detachment received 269 reports of domestic violence with 90 charges being laid in 2011. There were 258 reports and 112 charges in 2010, which was a significant increase over 2009 with 217 reports and 66 charges.
It is provincial policy for law enforcement to press charges if there is evidence of assault, something Kading said is intended to provide the opportunity for intervention.
Doreen Slessor, executive director with the Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society said many individuals are referred to the society after charges are laid in their case.
She said although she is not surprised by the findings of the survey, more work is needed to change the minds of those 10 per cent of men, adding the same applies to women who share similar views.
“It’s not maybe just the perception from the men that it’s okay to hit. Maybe the women think it’s okay to hit and they think it’s okay to hit children or adult parents,” she said.
Last year, the SAIF Society assisted 150 new clients and administered roughly 3,700 hours of counselling to individuals affected by domestic violence in the community. Although this is on par with previous years, Slessor said she believes it is a result of increased awareness.
“We don’t know if we’ve had an increase in cases of domestic violence, but we know that people are increasing reporting of domestic violence, so that shows me that the education is better and people aren’t being as silent,” she said.
Although the survey focused on males engaging in physical violence against women, Slessor said it is important to remember that violence comes in various forms; psychological, emotional and financial, and all affect all ages, both sexes and all races.
Donna McPherson, committee member with the Sturgeon Family Violence Prevention Program and programming coordinator with Sturgeon Victim Services, agreed, adding the prevalence of domestic violence is increasing.
The Sturgeon Family Violence Prevention Program offers a free 15-week course in Morinville that aims to provide information and resources to men and women impacted by family violence, whether they are victims or offenders.
Participants are separated into groups based on their gender and are led by a therapist of the same sex, which provides a good role model, she said.
“We’ve received very positive feedback from participants that it’s been a good program, that they’re able to share and get information to make changes in their life so the family violence isn’t taking place,” McPherson said.
She said most of the women’s group consists of victims of family violence, while many male participants are mandated to attend by probation.
The program has been offered for four years, with sessions held in both spring and fall, and has seen 120 participants complete the program.
McPherson said she is unsure of the program’s future, as funding is increasingly difficult to secure.
“We’re constantly scrambling to find where we can tap into some more revenue to try and keep the program running because we see it as viable,” she said.
A current session is still accepting registrations, with a deadline of March 20. Interested individuals can call 780-939-4590 to register.
“The program is wanting to address all the different issues to make our communities healthier and to have people not have to live in fear of violence,” McPherson said.
Men's Attitudes and Behaviours Toward Violence Against Women
o 52 per cent said most women could leave a violent relationship if they really wanted to.<br />o 40 per cent agreed with the statement "If a woman wears provocative clothing, she's putting herself at risk for rape."<br />o 54 per cent agreed that when a parent slaps a child's face, it is always abuse, with 39 per cent saying it is sometimes abuse and seven per cent saying it is never abuse.<br />o 91 per cent said they would likely intervene if they knew someone in a violent relationship.
