What is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Using the definition from Statistics Canada:
"Intimate partner violence (IPV) encompasses a broad range of behaviors, ranging from emotional and financial abuse to physical and sexual assault. Due to its widespread prevalence and its far-ranging immediate and long-term consequences for victims their families and for communities as a whole, IPV is considered a major public health problem by the World Health Organization (WHO)."
IPV is a problem in our communities, our businesses, and even within our groups of friends. With a statistic of 1 in 3 females worldwide, and nearly 1 in 2 females in Canada, there are females around you who need support, need a safe space, and need your respect. They may only need to be heard and encouraged to talk, or they made need your support to take the next steps and leave a relationship.
This is especially important for females considered to be part of the sexual minority, for example bi-sexual or lesbian. In Canada, the statistic is 67%. 2 out of 3 females have experienced a form of IPV since the age of 15.
We can't change what has happened, but we can bring awareness to this problem, and we can make change for the future - for our daughters and other young females, for our friends, colleagues, and peers, and the females in our extended networks. Draw the line!
