ACTIVISM
RAPID RESPONSE Domestic violence has been a big problem during the pandemic, but but this powerful European app offers hope for those in need MACKENZIE MASON mmason@cjournal
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Screenshot of the App-Elles app displaying the alert screen. PHOTO: APP-ELLES
4 MAY/JUNE 2021 CALGARYJOURNAL.CA
HANNAH PAPKE hpapke@cjournal
s Alberta’s second mandatory lockdown continues, many women and children will be victims of domestic violence as numbers of reported instances continue to climb throughout the pandemic. However, one app that’s widely used in Europe is working to protect those at risk by providing a quick, easy and discreet way for those in danger to get help. A new study by the University of Calgary found that women were mentally struggling more than their male counterparts while in isolation. Veronica Guadagni led an online study from March 23 to June 7, in which 573 Canadians participated. The study revealed that women had reported a decrease in mental health and sleep quality while also reporting an increase in stress levels. “[Both genders] symptoms worsened over time and with greater length of the isolation period, there was a progressive increase in anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality and trauma for males and females. But it was greater for females over time,” explains Guadagni. The Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter is one place that is seeing the mental and physical effects the pandemic and isolation has had on women first hand. Kim Ruse, CEO of the shelter, says that the needs of women are growing and the shelter is seeing the severity of situations women are experiencing worsen. “We’re seeing that the levels of danger in families are increasing, so we use a tool called a danger assessment that rates [the levels] of lethality that women are facing in their situations and those numbers are climbing,” Ruse says. In addition to the rising rates of domestic violence, she also sees that women are facing multiple problems at once right now, which is adding to the stress and danger within the home. “We’re also seeing the complications of this economic situation and the pandemic situation begin to overlay so that is adding to the family violence. For example, someone that’s dealing with family violence is now dealing with financial implications from the pandemic,” she explains. “Or they have other costs around child care, or situations that have shifted in their family, so it’s creating new obstacles and barriers.” These are all factors that Ruse believes is causing the increase in emergency calls being made to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. Ruse said that during the first six weeks of quarantine, emergency calls to the shelter dropped. She believes this wasn’t because the need went away but instead that those in unsafe situations lost the opportunity to be alone and call for help. In the weeks following, they reported up to as high as a 34 per cent increase compared to the same time the previous year. Comparing the number of emergency calls fro April 2020 within the same period last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that emergency calls being made by women who were victims of violence by a partner have risen by 60 per cent worldwide. Because domestic violence is a problem faced by so many people worldwide, many groups are looking for new innovative ways to help women who find themselves as victims of domestic violence.
