WHEREAS Domestic Violence, also known as Intimate Partner Violence, is a prevalent form of gender-based violence. It refers to multiple forms of harm caused by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. This abuse can occur in the form of physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, and economic control. Batterers often use multiple tactics such as isolation, intimidation, sexual, and physical assault, forced substance abuse, insults, threatening, and excessive monitoring to control and manipulate victims and survivors; and
WHEREAS Femicide is one kind of Domestic Violence that is generally defined as the killing of one or more females, primarily by males, because they are female, and represents the most extreme extent of violence and discrimination against women and girls; and
WHEREAS the World Health Organization identifies Domestic Violence as a major global public health concern as it affects millions of people worldwide and can result in immediate and long-lasting health, social and economic consequences. Domestic Violence impacts people of all genders, ages, socioeconomic, racial, educational, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. However, women account for the vast majority of people who experience this form of gender-based violence and it is most often perpetrated by men. There are serious impacts on children who are exposed to Domestic Violence, and exposure is considered a form of child maltreatment; and
WHEREAS victims and survivors often describe the abuse as being part of a cycle or pattern where there are periods of calm followed by periods of fear and tension leading to incidents of abuse. This cycle, and many other reasons, make it difficult and dangerous for victims and survivors to leave abusive relationships. In fact, domestic violence homicides most commonly occur when a victim or survivor is leaving or has recently left an abusive relationship; and
WHEREAS Domestic Violence is never the fault of victims and survivors. While anger, stress, or substance abuse can be common elements in abusive relationships, using violence is still a deliberate choice made by batterers. Abuse is used to control victims and survivors, and to take away their agency over their own lives; and
WHEREAS the severity of Domestic Violence calls for enhanced prevention strategies, as well as strengthened intervention efforts that include employing a variety of community-based and public resources to support law enforcement, prosecution, victim advocacy, secure shelters, batterer’s intervention, other support services, and policy development;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of The Corporation of the City of Brantford HEREBY PROCLAIMS November as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in the City of Brantford.