'Terrible phenomenon' of family homicides points to problem of rural intimate partner violence: advocate

Two horrific incidents of multiple homicides this year show better access to supports is needed in rural Manitoba, say southwestern Manitoba groups that work with people experiencing intimate partner violence.

Communities are in crisis after last week's triple homicidein the southwestern community of McCreary and the killing of five people an adult, a teenand three young children in the southern Manitoba town ofCarman lastFebruary, says Kim Iwasiuk, the director of counselling and advocacy attheWomen's Resource Centre in Brandon.

Over her 20-year career, theprovince has continuously had one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in Canada, said Iwasiuk.While there have been some positive changes, the recent tragedies show how dangerous rural intimate partner violence is becoming, she said.

"What we're seeing more of is this terrible phenomenon of families being murdered," Iwasiuk said.

"It's not just the partner, it's the children, it's grandparents, it's older siblings ... the grief around that trauma of losing an entire family.We have to be thinking of things differently."

Rural Manitobans need better access to domestic violence supports, Iwasiuk said. Her organizationhopes to address those gapswith ayear-long women and gender equity research project that starts in September.

It will involve going into communities to discuss intimate partner violence and how tobetter help, Iwasiuk said, andthe findings will guide how the resource centre extends services across theWestman region.

"There's more vulnerability in rural areas," she said. "One of the things we want to identify ... [is] where are people going in the community that they can get this information in a quiet, confidential manner, not to escalate things at home."

Rural violence isolating

Rural Manitobans looking to flee an abusive partner face many barriers, Iwasiuk said.

They often facelimited transportation access, poor cellphone service andlong police response times, or may not know where to get help. There may also be a sense thattalking about intimate partner violence istaboo, she said.

That can create a feeling of isolation that can be hard to overcome.

Ross Robinson, the executive director of theJohn Howard Society of Brandon, says outreach workers visiting smaller rural communities often have trouble building relationships with those affected by intimate partner violence because they don't have a consistentpresence.

The sense of isolation extends to access to doctors, nurse practitioners and other health-care supports that are often the first linein identifying when domestic violence is happening, he said.

The John Howard Society has tried to build connections through Zoom and other virtual means, but it's proven to be impersonal and not as effective as meeting in person, he said.It's trying to expand its Building Healthy Relationships program, which addresses intimate partner violence,but bringing people together can be challenging.

"It's now a community issue, especially in the rural communities," said Robinson. "We need to get together."

Preventing violence

Iwasiuk says protection orders are intended to help prevent intimate partner violence, but aren'talways effective.

The former common-law spouse of Marlon Glover the man police say was responsible for the McCreary homicides had a protection order against him, after a court determined she had experienceddomestic violence.

But early last Friday, he forced his way into her home. She managed to escape and hide in a wooden area, but Glover went to a nearby residence where he killed herparents and brother.

Iwasiuk says in her experience, protection orders areoften breached and frequentlyfail to apply to entire families.

That's why collaborative practices and trauma-informed care are important for everyone, she said not just for those working inshelters orresource centres or police.

"We have to come together and figure this out and have open communication," Iwasiuk said. "We need the dollars that can get us into the rural communities and let us stay there."

Robinson said it'skey for community members tokeepan eye on each other, in order to help spot when there is a concern. If a problem is discovered in time, the community can help connect people with programs like Building Healthy Relationships before they hurt someone, he said.

Often, program participants say they wish they had received its help earlier, he said.

"If we don't reach out to help people, especially men who aren't going to reach out to get their own help, then we're in trouble."

Iwasiuk says the issue with suchprograms is they often comeat a stage where the abuse is already entrenched in a relationship. Theskills those programs teach need to beoffered proactivelyin schools and in communities, to break the cycle of violence, she said.

"We're not making the headway that we should be," said Iwasiuk. "Isn't it so sad to saythat we are reactive rather than proactive?"