Calgarians gather during a candlelight vigil for Ania Kaminski and her father Stanislaw Wardzala in the northwest Calgary community of Tuscany on Friday, January 3, 2025. Jim Wells/Postmedia
One of our neighbours, a smart and pleasant young woman worked Christmas Eve and Day, then New Year's Eve and Day. Ugh. She did so in her professional role as a mental health worker alongside police officers responding to situations of domestic disturbance and violence. Apparently nothing says "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" like violent encounters with those you supposedly love.
The gender-neutral term "intimate partner violence" is used commonly now but we know that the vast majority of these situations are men hurting and killing women.
Over the holidays there were two high-profile cases in Canada, one in Calgary and the other in Halifax where men murdered their partners and killed the fathers of the two women. They then killed themselves, in one instance leaving three children orphans. It is hideous cowardice and far too common a scenario.
Experts say that despite years of education and awareness campaigns there has been a steady rise in intimate partner violence. Some call it an epidemic, a crisis the Ontario government is reluctant to declare as such through the proposed Intimate Partner Violence Act, Bill 173.
As I've written before, there is little training or encouragement in Christian communities to address this ugly reality. For years conservative churches encouraged women figure out how to be better wives or just tough out the abuse of partners. While that is changing there has to be an awakening within denominations and congregations about this. Every congregation will have people dealing with partner violence in some way and shame is often an impediment to reaching out for help.
I know, a gloomy topic at the beginning of the year but we can decry this sin and ask how we can make a difference. Holidays and IPV should never go together.
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