The City of Airdrie is asking residents for their input into the issue of family violence, launching an online survey earlier this month.
The survey is part of a research project undertaken by the city’s social planning department to look at perceptions in the community regarding family violence.
“Essentially what we’re trying to learn about is…what family violence is in our community. Do people understand and know about it? Do they know what resources are available to them, and/or services?” said Patty Murray, manager of Recreation, Culture and Social Sustainability.
“What we’re really trying to determine is understanding what our current community knows about this particular issue.”
According to Murray, the results of the research project will help the city and local agencies understand some of the dynamics around family violence.
“There are a number of agencies that we’ve been working with in terms of trying to get a better understanding of the landscape locally,” she said. “(These agencies) at some point in time on this continuum may step in to provide some services for people who do experience domestic violence.”
Murray said the city is undertaking the research project, including the survey, to gather some baseline information.
“We didn’t really have any current research that could help us better understand what is in play in our community,” she said.
“The survey is asking residents…some basic questions around, are you aware of what services are available in the community, have you experienced domestic violence, what services do you know about – some very simple questions like that to give us a baseline.”
According to Alberta Human Services, family violence can take a number of different forms, including physical, verbal and psychological.
Family violence is defined by Alberta Human Services as “the abuse of power within relationships of family, trust or dependency that endangers the survival, security or well-being of another person.
It can include spousal abuse (married or common-law), elder abuse and neglect, child abuse and neglect, child sexual abuse, parent abuse and exposure to abuse of others in the family.”
The impacts of family violence on society are many, including financial.
Information from the Department of Justice released in 2009 indicates Canadians spend approximately $7.4 billion each year to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence alone.
The bulk of this figure – $6 billion – was incurred by the victims of spousal abuse for things such as medical expenses, lost wages and damaged or stolen property. Court and policing costs add to the total society pays each year to deal with this issue.
The survey is available on the city’s website airdrie.ca until Jan. 6, 2017.
