Intimate Partner Violence

What is Intimate Partner Violence?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines intimate partner violence (IPV) as “behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors.”¹

IPV can happen at any time during a relationship or even after it has ended, regardless of the gender and sexual orientation of the partners, cohabitation, sexual intimacy, or status, and it can happen in private, public, or online.² While IPV impacts individuals of all races, ages, gender, educational, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, women experience it at a higher rate than men, with eight out of ten IPV victims being female.³

While there have been improvements to Ontario Regulation 131/16 of the Ministry of Training, and Universities Act* in strengthening protection for post-secondary students subjected to harassment and sexual violence, IPV and support accessibility is still a topic of concern. A survey of Ontario university and college students about sexual violence indicated that only around 22% of university respondents and 30% of college respondents had the knowledge and understanding of reporting procedures and how/where to access support on campus.⁴ Research indicates that a considerable proportion of Canadian female first-year students already arrive on campus with a history of sexual violence and are unprepared to face perpetrators during their post-secondary academic career, highlighting the need for campuses to provide support for these .⁵

Stay-at-home orders, social isolation, and economic pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as lack of have increased IPV cases and have damaging consequences for individuals who face IPV in restricting their access to shelters and campus services.^6,7

As of 2024, over 90 Ontario municipalities have declared IPV as an epidemic.⁸ Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, indicates that the Ontario government will recognize IPV as an epidemic in Ontario.

Since relationships exist on a spectrum, it can sometimes be hard to spot the signs of when a relationship goes from healthy to unhealthy, from safe to dangerous. IPV is stereotypically viewed as strictly physical violence, but it often can be much more subtle than that and not include other forms of abuse. There is no threshold of violence or discomfort you need to reach before seeking support. If it feels wrong to you, ask for help.

Typical warning signs of an abusive partner include⁹:

• Explosive outbursts or mood swings.
• Possessiveness/controlling behaviour (e.g., what you wear, where you can go, money).
• Isolating you from friends or family.
• Continuously minimizing your feelings.
• Manipulating your spiritual beliefs to justify a controlling or abusive behaviour.
• Checking your phone, email, and accounts without your permission.
• Threatening you, your loved ones, and/or friends.
• Any type of physical aggression or verbal abuse.

Intersectionality

“Without intersectionality, we only get part of the picture and partial pictures limit us to partial responses for survivors.” ¹⁰ – Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Western University

• Indigenous women are more likely to experience IPV (61%) than compared to non-Indigenous women (44%).²
• Close to 1 in 3 partnered gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men report physical and/or sexual IPV in their lifetime.¹¹
• More than 50% of women with disabilities* have reported experiencing IPV, compared to 37% of women without a disability.²
• Around 25% of Canadian women who are part of a visible minority have reported experiencing IPV between the ages of 15 and 24.²
• 67% of LGB+ women who have been in an intimate partner relationship have reported experiencing at least one type of IPV since the age of 15, compared to 44% among heterosexual women.²

How Does IPV Impact Student Mental Health?

IPV can produce various short- and long-term problems such as^1,12,13:

Alongside, feelings of guilt, shame, humiliation, loss, and lack of control are common feelings among those who experience IPV, further contributing to depression and poor self-esteem.¹²

Personal Safety Tips

These tips can help keep yourself or someone you know stay safe during an incident of IPV.

• Know your surroundings and be aware of all exit locations.
• Always have your phone near you.¹⁴
• If you sense an argument brewing between you and your abusive partner, attempt to move it to a space that has more than one exit.¹⁴
• Keep emergency contacts, hotlines, and services under code names in your cellphone.¹⁴
• Keep records of every incident that occurs with your partner, documenting dates, times, injuries (with photos if possible), what was said, and descriptions of the incident(s).¹⁴
  • Other types of records include printing out text messages, emails, social media posts, call logs, and recording voicemails of abuse.
• Create a code word to send to friends and family when in need of help.
• Keep your wallet and car keys in easily accessible places.

IPV Resources

Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children (CREVAWC)

Western University offers free online training regarding IPV. Trainings include how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence on Ontario campuses, training for neighbours, friends, and families, and tips on risk assessment and management.

CREVAWC also provides a series of infographics on IPV regarding diverse groups and populations.

CICMH Sexual Violence Response on Campus Toolkit

This CICMH toolkit provides campus stakeholders with the necessary information to help improve or develop sexual violence response programming. The toolkit also touches upon the mental health impacts of sexual violence and provides examples of best and promising practices of sexual violence responses in post-secondary institutions.

iHEAL App

Backed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, collaboration between Western University, University of New Brunswick, and University of British Columbia worked to develop this free anonymous app to support women experiencing IPV and domestic violence. iHEAL provides users with resources and services in their local area to improve their health, safety, and well-being. A short informational video on the app can be found here.

Hope for Wellness

Available in many languages (English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut), Hope for Wellness has a telephone line and online chat available 24/7, with culturally competent counsellors for all Indigenous people across Canada. Hope for Wellness is available for crisis intervention, referrals to community-based services, and emotional support.

Toll-free Help Line: 1-855-242-3310

This American-based website provides education and resources surrounding healthy and unhealthy relationships and personal safety.

The Culture of Respect: CORE Blueprint Program

This report highlights a pilot project launched in the USA regarding post-secondary institutions’ responses to and prevention of campus sexual violence.

References

1. World Health Organization. Violence against women [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2021 [cited 2024 Feb 13]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women#:~:text=Intimate%20partner%20violence%20refers%20to,psychological%20abuse%20and%20controlling%20behaviours.
2. Government of Canada. Fact sheet: intimate partner violence [Internet]. Government of Canada; 2022 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence/intimate-partner-violence.html
3. Government of Ontario. Intimate partner violence [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 13]. Available from: https://www.ontario.ca/page/intimate-partner-violence
4. CCI Research. Summary report of the student voices on sexual violence survey. [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2024 Feb 21]. Available from: https://files.ontario.ca/tcu-summary-report-student-voices-on-sexual-violence-survey-en-2019-03.pdf
5. Senn CY, Eliasziw M, Barata PC, Thurston WE, Newby-Clark IR, Radtke HL, Hobden KL, SARE Study Team. Sexual violence in the lives of first-year University Women in Canada: No improvements in the 21st Century. BMC Women’s Health. 2014 Nov 5;14(1). doi:10.1186/s12905-014-0135-4
6. Ncube N. Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health Services and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario: What are the differences, if any, in mental health service accessibility and service satisfaction during COVID-19 between women in abusive relationships and women in non-abusive relationships?
7. Willis C. U of G research finds housing security essential for preventing intimate partner violence [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 13]. Available from: https://www.uoguelph.ca/research/article/u-g-research-finds-housing-security-essential-preventing-intimate-partner-violence
8. Hicks A. Children’s Aid Society Sudbury-Manitoulin establishes intimate partner violence team [Internet]. CTV News; 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/children-s-aid-society-sudbury-manitoulin-establishes-intimate-partner-violence-team-1.6758855
9. Gary A, Kiper V, Geist R, Rice L. Intimate partner violence. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 2023 May;21(3):12–21. doi:10.1097/01.nme.0000923356.04475.dc
10. Western University. Intersecting oppressions shape experiences of IPV faced by women with disabilities [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Feb 13]. Available from: https://gbvlearningnetwork.ca/our-work/infographics/intersecting_oppressions_shape_experiences_of_ipv_faced_by_women_with_disabilities/index.html
11. Juwono S, Anato JL, Kirschbaum AL, Metheny N, Dvorakova M, Skakoon-Sparling S, Moore DM, Grace D, Hart TA, Lambert G, Lachowsky NJ, Jollimore J, Cox J, Maheu-Giroux M. Prevalence, determinants, and trends in the experience and perpetration of intimate partner violence among a cohort of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada (2017-2022). medRxiv. 2023 Jul 25; doi:10.1101/2023.07.24.23293112
12. Government of Canada. Health consequences of violent victimization [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/rr12_12/p2.html#:~:text=IPV%20is%20consistently%20associated%20with,et%20al.%2C%202010
13. Wood L, Voth Schrag R, Busch-Armendariz N. Mental health and academic impacts of intimate partner violence among IHE-attending women. Journal of American College Health. 2018 Dec 17;68(3):286–93. doi:10.1080/07448481.2018.1546710
14. Greater Sudbury Police. Intimate partner violence – supports and resources [Internet]. Greater Sudbury Police Service; 2019 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.gsps.ca/en/crime-prevention-and-community-safety/intimate-partner-violence-supports-and-resources.aspx#Additional-Safety-Tips