Hi Brooklyn,
Thank you for the informative post! I had never known the history of women’s shelters in Canada so it was really cool to see how everything started and also very shocking to learn how recent these changes and implementations were. It is truly heartbreaking to think of all the women who had been suffering domestic abuse with no where to turn as their agency was limited by the inadequate system.
I like that you included Jan’s story. It was very evocative and attention-grabbing. It is truly unfortunate that many women had to deal with similar situations. I think it is very important to bring stories like hers to light to show people the extent and intensity of this issue. I think if you were to start your blog post with that anecdote it would be even more effective in being that human story that pulls readers in right away. 🙂
I also really like that you spoke about where we are lacking today. Like you said, though we have made great strides, we still face the problem with inadequate funding, or not enough space in women’s shelters. I think there needs to be more awareness raised on the issue of domestic abuse. With increased awareness I think there will be increased demand for immediate action from various levels of government, as currently it seems that most of the responsibility in running and funding shelter systems is given to charities and/or philanthropists. Like you mentioned, there is a demand for long-term housing. I think that unless the government decides to take the recommendations of the House of Commons seriously, there will only be short-term solutions to this issue.
Unfortunately, it seems that the issue of domestic violence often goes unattended or unnoticed because the society we live in is still dominated by patriarchal ideas, making it more difficult to have a woman’s voice heard compared to a mans. I recently read the book Evicted by Matthew Desmond for a class reading and it touched on the issue of domestic violence. It explained how it is close to impossible for some women in poverty who are experiencing domestic violence to escape their situation because they do not want to lose a place to live. I think it is crucial to realize that many women are unable to report the abuse they experience and so there needs to be increased access for these women. Hopefully, like you said, there will continue to be efforts being made by many in this uphill battle.
It was a pleasure reading your post and getting to learn a little more about Canada’s history.
Here is the link to Brooklyn’s Blog Post:
Nicole's Blog 