A Nova Scotia Legislative Committee heard disturbing testimonies from a mother of four on Tuesday who described how her spouse would have submitted them to harassment while the police and the courts seemed unable to help.
Lucy Bowser’s raw story about the difficulties of his family was part of a broader discussion on sexist violence. Several other defenders and representatives of the government have offered their point of view on what must be done to counter a problem that the province declared an epidemic last September.
“We have been able to feel helpless and frightened for years,” said Bowser to the health committee. “This is a time bomb.”
She said that her youngest children, aged 16 and 14, would have undergone threats of kidnapping and harassment of each form, which left them traumatized. Her daughter did not leave their house for two years, and her son encouraged him to sleep with a doe foot in his bed to protect herself, she said.
Bowser also recalled how much her children were so afraid of what would happen that they would send her SMS to make sure that she was still alive.
“They live at the limit of an imminent emergency,” she told the Committee.
When she approached the police to get help, she said that she was facing resistance and a “cloud of doubt”. Obtaining a contactless prescription from the courts was a difficult process filled with barriers, she added.
Bowser said that earlier this year, her spouse was criminally charged, but she did not offer details.
Over the past seven months, Nova Scotia police reported that the death of seven women was the result of violence between intimate partners, a painful peak which led to an increased examination of the way the province reacts.
Rachel Shepherd, Executive Director of Bryony House, said that the emergency refuge for 36 women and children in the Halifax region is still full and always has a waiting list.
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“In the past year, our team has responded to thousands of calls and SMS on our distress line,” she said. “We have housed hundreds of women and children – for some, up to 12 months.”
Other defenders have clearly indicated that obtaining long -term foreseeable financing was a continuous problem.
Ann de Ste Croix, executive director of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, described sexist violence as a “public health crisis”, adding that in last year, Nova Scotia recorded the third highest femicide rate in Canada, which is defined as intentional murder with gender motivation.
“Too often, women and their families looking for security are confronted with systemic gaps instead of support,” she said. “We note an increasing number of women with shelters with complex and crossed needs, such trauma, consumption of substances and mental health challenges – but few have access to the required services.”
Susan Leblanc, a member of the opposition NDP, reminded the committee that the public inquiry on the mass shooting of Nova Scotia has recommended that governments contribute to “epidemic” funding to programs to combat the violence of intimate partners. This recommendation was in response to proof that the man who killed 22 people in April 2020 began his raising by brutally attacking his wife of the law.
“We know we have an epidemic,” said Leblanc. “Do we really work with epidemic funding?”
Meghan Hansford, director of housing with Adsum for women and children, said that was not the case.
“There is a lot of work to do,” she said. “The programs that currently work are exceeded and exhausted. Every day, it is difficult to offer hope to those we serve … We need epidemic funding. ”
Two government representatives told the Committee that the province considered that sex violence has faced a high priority.
The Ministry of Justice, for example, has created a sex -based violence division and provided $ 7 million to the courts of domestic violence, advice for victims and other programs. In addition, the government’s spring budget has reserved $ 100 million to deal with sexist violence, which includes $ 17.9 million over four years for the House Association Transition.
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