Family violence statistics 'staggering,' says local expert - Calgary Herald

CALGARY — Recent domestic homicide cases are top of mind as Family Violence Awareness Month kicks off.

Homicide investigators have been kept busy in past weeks with the murder-suicide of a mother and son in Varsity, the slaying of Lacey Jones-McKnight, and the deaths of a couple discovered Wednesday in a Temple apartment. Homicide detectives have not confirmed the cause of death or the identities of the couple.

But family strife has been at the forefront, police say.

"It's been really hard on people in the community and it's hard on our officers when they go to these things. They're not easy to attend," said Supt. Sat Parhar of the Calgary police's specialized investigation division.

"These things sometimes spike, just like every other crime in the city can spike."

The Calgary Police Service has 12 investigators in its domestic conflict unit.

There are 16,000 domestic-violence related complaints to police each year in Calgary.

The Calgary Domestic Violence Committee held an awareness event at Bankers Hall on Thursday that featured Legacy One Urban Dance Crew. Guest speakers talked about how family violence can happen to anyone, and people need to recognize agencies have the power to help.

"The statistics on family violence in Alberta are staggering. Approximately 200,000 adults in Alberta live with family violence — across all ages, income levels and ethnicities. Even one incident of family violence is too much," said Andrea Silverstone, co-chair of the Calgary Domestic Violence Committee. "Family Violence Prevention Month helps generate awareness of the resources and supports available to help end family violence. We want Calgarians to know what help is available, and we want to break the silence when it comes to family violence and abuse."

Family violence needs to be addressed, advocates say.

"I think it just emphasizes the need for all of the resources that are available and the continued need to promote it, so people know how to access what they need before it escalates," said spousal abuse survivor Melody Bundt Witwer, who is with Peer Support Services for Abused Women.

"It's very difficult to get out."

Calgary entrepreneur W. Brett Wilson, whose his mother was a social worker, has funded the Wilson Centre for Domestic Abuse Studies at the Calgary Counselling Centre.

"The most important thing I've been doing is awareness-raising," Wilson said. "The most important thing we can do is raise its profile."

To learn more about help for family violence, visit www.connectnetwork.ca.

szickefoose@calgaryherald.com