As communities across Canada mark Family Violence Prevention Month in November, the provincial government has announced that Alberta will focus this year's campaign on dating violence.
In particular, the province wants to highlight the negative impact dating violence can have on individuals, their families and the community at large.
Like all other communities in the province, West Central Alberta is impacted by dating violence, and like other types of domestic violence, it often occurs in private.
“Family violence affects far too many people in Alberta and can have a lasting and devastating impact on individuals throughout their lives,” said Alberta Human Services Minister Dave Hancock.
“In particular, we are focusing on dating violence and the far-reaching consequences it can have for Albertans, especially young people in our province. Getting information into their hands so they can know that resources are available to help someone experiencing abuse is critical.”
Although dating violence can impact people of most ages, young people are particularly vulnerable because of their lack of experience in relationships, he added.
This year the province will spend more than $65 million on family violence prevention.
As with other types of family violence, knowing how to identify the signs of dating violence and what to do if it occurs are the best ways to meet the challenge head-on.
Alberta Health says there are a number of warning signs of dating violence. Those include being pressured to make relationships very serious or to have sex, having a partner become extremely jealous and possessive, having one partner trying to control the other partner, and experiencing verbal, emotional or sexual abuse.
The province says anyone encountering family violence, whether as a victim or as an acquaintance of a victim, should take action to ensure the person involved is safe, and if the victim is in immediate danger the best thing to do is call 911.
As with other types of domestic violence, the days when dating violence was kept in the dark, away from the prying eyes of the public, are thankfully long gone. Today anyone who believes dating violence is “nobody else's business” is very much mistaken.
Although dating violence does not impact all individuals, it is in a very real sense a crime against the community at large. As such, it is right and fitting that Alberta is making the identification and prevention of this type of violence a priority this Family Violence Prevention Month.
Residents of West Central Alberta are encouraged to educate themselves about the signs and symptoms of dating violence, and to act promptly to bring help and protection to victims throughout the year.
