Expansion of Funding to Increase Options for Women who are Victims of Violence to Live Safely in Their Community – 2020

BACKGROUND – Emergency response systems have existed in Peel for those who are at high risk of violence for many years. In 2016, a collaborative effort between Victim Services Peel and Peel Regional Police, changed their system from a home alarm system to a mobile GPS tracking device. This new system, ‘Project Guardian’, is being piloted in Peel Region. Variations of this project exist in many regions in Ontario. Project Guardian functions to improve the safety of those at risk of violence from assaults, human trafficking, hate crimes, and domestic violence. The project consists of extensive safety planning, maintaining contact with Victim Services Coordinator, and supports individuals living in Brampton or Mississauga who have reported the violence or threat of violence to the police, do not reside with the accused, and seek out and utilize other safety measures (e.g. peace bonds, restraining orders, or no contact orders). At the time of this resolution, nine (9) GPS trackers exist for Brampton/Mississauga, a population of over one million people; all of which are have been allocated to individuals and a waitlist exists. The GPS trackers are provided to individual victims of violence who wish to remain living safely in their own residence, after the perpetrator has left or been removed. The GPS tracker has an emergency call feature linking all details of the individual’s case directly to the police and once pressed, allows for an immediate response by police, should the perpetrator violate the court order (Peel Police Services Board, 2018; Victim Services of Peel, 2020).

The Minister for Women and Gender Equality stated the COVID-19 pandemic is empowering domestic violence abusers with some regions showing a 20% to 30% increase in violence rates since the virus started spreading. The Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH), which represents over 70 shelters across Ontario, states that 20 percent of their organizations have experienced an increase in calls (Amin, 2020). Rates of gender-based violence were high in Canada even before the pandemic: on average, every six days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner.

Thousands of women, girls, and trans and non-binary people now face a heightened risk of violence at home with COVID-19 isolation measures, One in 10 women is very or extremely concerned about the possibility of violence in their home according to a Statistics Canada survey on COVID-19. Those living with abusers face new obstacles to escape violence and get help. Due to shelter overcrowding, women and children often have to go to shelters outside of their regions resulting in job loss due to transportation issues and their children either do not got to school or end up switching schools, adding to their current trauma. The use of the GPS tracker alleviates the need for reliance on shelters and provides some sense of normalcy as victims can safely stay in their homes, maintain their jobs, and remain in their home schools.

In Ontario, 23,305 cases of police-reported incidents of domestic violence against women were reported in 2018, representing an increased rate of 8% between 2017 and 2018 (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics). Women who experience domestic violence are frequently referred to a violence against women shelter. Of those who seek emergency shelter, 60% are women. Of those women, 40% attend shelters with their children. In Ontario, 42% of shelters were at capacity, and shelter being at capacity was the reason women were turned away in 82% of situations (Moreau, 2019). According to a 2017/2018 Statistics Canada report, on a snapshot day, more than 3, 500 women sought shelter; of those who cited abuse as their reason for seeking shelter, 80% reported their alleged abuser as an intimate partner (current or former) (Sinha, 2013).

Despite women utilizing all current available safety resources (e.g., restraining order, custody order, police), leaving an abusive relationship remains the most dangerous time; pending or actual separation was present in 67% of homicides investigated by the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee between 2003-2018 (Office of the Chief Coroner, 2019). This report also identified additional high risks such as a current or past history of domestic violence by the perpetrator (71%), victims having an intuitive sense of fear (43%), prior threats to kill the victim (36%) and the perpetrator having failed to comply with authority (28%). ‘Project Guardian’ provides individuals safety through immediate, informed intervention to reduce risk of violence, including homicide, and helps to increase autonomy, independence, and stability (Peel Police Services Board (2018).