Domestic Assault Response Team Muskoka

I am at a DART conference in Muskoka, with a series of speakers involved in this network. Some at this conference know of the murder of Natalia Novak, as her family lives in this area. We anxiously await the result of the trial while the jury deliberates. News coverage is small for such domestic assaults. It is a crime and a shame.

OPP response has evolved from the days of old. Brian Vallée writes in War On Women, of domestic assaults and inappropriate convictions, with woman who were seldom believed, or turned from victims into being on trial themselves.
One of his pet peeves is the lack of coverage of victims, such as the Natalia Novak murder. Or beloved Toronto real estate agent, Susan Ryan, murdered by her former Toronto police officer husband, need to have their stories told.

The conference was full of reports and stories by the OPP, a psychiatrist, and Women's Violence workers. We heard gruesome 911 calls, information about PTSD experienced by women, children, and BABIES who are deeply and profoundly affected by such assaults.

There is much coverage accorded our soldiers who die in battle. Little about these abused women, and often their children, who die at the hands of their former partners. The statistics often are not reflected in media coverage. With 116 soldiers dying in Afghanistan, and between 2000 and 2006 we have lost 8000 women to domestic violence.

• More than half of Canadian women have been victims of at least one act of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16 (Status of Women -Canada)
• Every year, about 25 women are killed by their intimate partners in Ontario.
• Almost 40% of women assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the event.
• In sexual assault cases 80% know their abusers and 90% of incidents take place at home.

Despite such horrific inquests and stories of abuse, the May/Iles Inquest 1998, was one that laid down the rules for identification of protocol, mandatory charge policies, specialized courses for OPP, and other improvements to this system.
Vallée's book is a frightening one, and the statistics have been frightening. Even one case a fatal domestic assault or death by a spouse or ex-partner is a sad situation. But it is a topic seldom covered in the news.

Ontario's improvements include and continue with:

• Victim Services Programs
  
• Victim Witness Assistance Programs (VWAP)
• SupportLink
  
• Mandatory charge policy (2000) - if reasonable grounds
• Domestic Violence Investigators (DVI) Course (2001) - OPP College
• Increased cooperation with justice sector partners & service providers

More needs to be done, but we are making progress. I have high hopes that our valuable OPP will use the new knowledge we have on how to identify, monitor and prevent violence against w omen. As awareness arises, it is up to all stakeholders to witness, identify, protect and support women who suffer at the hands of men.

Now home I began a new novel: picture perfect. I had no idea about its content - I just brought 4 more of Ms. Picoult's books home. It turns out that this novel clearly depicts the insidious way that male offenders creep into a woman's life, and turn from a loving, caring partner, into someone who demeans, controls and despises the woman they think they love. It has deep insight into the abuse some women face, and how difficult it is to leave the men who control them, their relationships and their finances. It is a must read for all DART workers, as well as those who love women who have been abused, their friends and family members who may not understand how and why this violence occurs.

Participating in April poetry month, Napowrimo, a fellow poet posted a powerful poem that sums up the horrific experiences. I wrote a poem for mothers who have lost children.