Latest news with #domesticViolence
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Somerset woman's death prompts call for better guidance
The death of a woman who struggled with alcoholism and was in an abusive relationship has prompted calls for better guidance for official (not her real name), from Taunton in Somerset, was subjected to violence when she refused to have sex with her partner, a report report, by the Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) found that Juliet's alcoholism prevented her from getting the right support from social care chair, Michael Preston-Shoot, said agencies have waited for "some time" for stronger mental health guidance on treating those with long-term substance abuse. Mr Preston-Shoot added: "It's very challenging to assess mental capacity in relation to people who have a long history of substance misuse." Just two months before Juliet's death in 2022 she had to be taken to hospital with breathing difficulties after being forced to have sex by her to the report, there were also concerns she was experiencing coercion and was being financially addition to alcohol dependence, Juliet experienced depression, was a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was registered partially sighted in 1995. 'Stronger guidance needed' Avon and Somerset Police was able to get a domestic violence prevention order which offered Juliet some protection, but she "tended to gravitate" back to her partner up until her SSAB is made up of all the organisations which have a role in preventing the neglect and abuse of adults, including Somerset Council, NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board, Avon & Somerset Police and Somerset NHS Foundation Preston-Shoot said the organisation is waiting for revised guidance on mental capacity assessments from the government. "We are hoping it will give a stronger direction in how to assess in the context of prolonged substance misuse," he Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
OPP lay charges in northern Ont. intimate partner violence case
A woman sits on the edge of a bed, shrouded in shadow. (File photo/Shutterstock) Ontario Provincial Police's Temiskaming detachment have laid multiple charges following an intimate partner violence investigation in Brethour Township. On Monday at about 2 p.m., officers responded to a report of a possibly armed individual in distress at a residence in the Timiskaming District. Police later determined the same individual was also a suspect in an intimate partner violence incident at the location. Suspect apprehended after search 'OPP units, including emergency response and canine teams, attended the scene,' police said in a news release Saturday. The suspect had fled the residence prior to the arrival of authorities. Officers contained the area and later located and apprehended the individual. The investigation led to an increased police presence in Brethour Township for several hours to ensure public safety and facilitate evidence gathering. Charges laid As a result of the investigation, a 24-year-old local man from Brethour Township faces multiple charges, including two counts of spousal assault, two counts of uttering threats, two counts of assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm and three other firearm-related offences. The accused remains in custody pending an upcoming bail hearing. Police stress support for victims 'OPP (are) committed to the safety of all members of the community. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, support is available,' police said. Resources for sexual assault survivors If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis: A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found at Resources in your community can be found by entering your postal code. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911. Helplines, legal services and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found here. National Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419 24-hour crisis line: 1-416-597-8808 Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010 Trans Lifeline: 1-877-330-6366 Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: 1-844-750-1648 Read about your rights as a victim here.
Irish Times
14-07-2025
- Irish Times
Man who raped partner and was later caught by gardaí trying to strangle her is jailed for 10 years
A man who raped his partner when she was sleeping and was later caught by gardaí trying to strangle her has been jailed for 10 years. Patrick Ward (36), of no fixed abode in Dublin 1, regularly self-harmed and made suicide attempts in front of the woman in an attempt to control her, the Central Criminal Court heard. Patricia McLaughlin SC, prosecuting, told the court the woman wished for Ward to be named in reports of the case, but did not want to be named herself. Counsel said the woman was confident that naming Ward would not identify her. Ward pleaded guilty to one count of raping the woman in her apartment between April 28th and May 4th last year. READ MORE Ward has 98 previous convictions, including for sexually assaulting a woman and a teenage girl in two separate incidents while they slept. The Central Criminal Court heard how Ward and the woman (41) met in 2023 and he moved into her apartment shortly afterwards. He was a registered sex offender, but failed to tell gardaí about his change of address. He had recently been released from a lengthy prison sentence for one of the sexual assault matters. On May 21st last year gardaí responded to a 999 call. They arrived at the apartment and found Ward on top of the woman, strangling her. He was arrested at the scene, the court heard. The woman had walked into a city-centre Garda station earlier that day to state she was in fear of Ward, but she was put out of the station for smoking. When she returned home Ward started attacking her. When the woman made a statement to gardaí, she outlined a history of abuse and an incident of rape that had occurred a few weeks prior. The court heard she became aware Ward had raped her as she slept after she found a video recording of what happened on his phone. She forwarded it to herself before he deleted it. In a victim impact statement, which she read out in court, the woman said she struggled with anxiety and night terrors and said she lost her apartment and her job as a result of the trauma inflicted on her. She said she felt humiliated and disgusted by his actions and said the images she saw when he self-harmed in front of her would never leave her. Michael Lynn SC, defending, asked the court to consider that his client was 'on the cusp now' and at a juncture in his life where he had demonstrated a change in mindset and a desire to rehabilitate. Counsel said this was evident by Ward's plea of guilt and remorse which his psychologist was confident was credible. Sentencing Ward on Monday, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said the rape was committed for his sexual gratification and that he strangled the woman out of anger and to impose control over her. She said the offence warranted a headline sentence of 16 years, taking into account the 'immense breach of trust involved' and the fact that offences occurred in the woman's home. She acknowledged Ward grew up in a difficult environment where abuse of alcohol was the norm. She acknowledged he has since demonstrated remorse and has accepted responsibility. Ms Justice Greally reduced the headline sentence to 11-and-half years, suspending the final 18 months on strict conditions including that Ward engage with the Probation Service for 18 months and undergo any courses as recommended by them. She also ordered Ward not to have any contact either directly or indirectly with the woman or members of her family for the next 40 years.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Women's rights face 'full-on assault' due to UN and aid funding cuts
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) -Four major international reports on women's rights, including recommendations on how to prevent domestic violence and discrimination, will not be published this year, a U.N. document showed, part of what rights groups describe as a broader backlash against gender equality. Voluntary funding for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is down $60 million this year due to unpaid contributions and major U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Trump, around 14% of its total income last year. An OHCHR document circulated to member states and reviewed by Reuters shows that 13 human rights reports have been delayed, four of them specifically concerning women, putting off both investigations and discussions on how policies can be improved. "We're silencing policy dialogue," Pooja Patel, Programme Director at the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, told Reuters. One in four countries reported a backlash on women's rights last year, a U.N. report in March said, something rights groups said made monitoring and recommendations all the more important. "It really does affect the everyday lives of women and girls when these reports and mechanisms are not functioning," said Claire Somerville, a lecturer and Executive Director of the Gender Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Several countries raised concerns at the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, where the resolution to pause the mandates was passed by consensus. Ecuador warned in a informal HRC meeting in Geneva in June the decision could send the wrong message amidst a "huge backlash" against the rights of women and girls. The OHCHR faced new calls on Tuesday to increase transparency regarding the criteria behind its funding decisions after earlier criticism of its choice to halt the launch of a U.N.-mandated commission investigating suspected human rights violations and war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk and his office would provide a comprehensive update on the feasibility of implementing the paused mandates before the next session in September, according to the U.N. document. In a letter seen by Reuters, Turk told Council members the situation was "deeply regrettable" and expressed concern about the impact funding cuts would have on the protection of human rights. In May the leading U.N. agency for gender equality, U.N. Women, reported that 90% of women's rights organizations in crisis-affected countries have been hit by cuts. "They signal a broader de-prioritisation of gender equality at a global level," said Laura Somoggi, Co-CEO of Womanity, a private foundation in Geneva for advancing gender equality. The OHCHR announced on Friday that the next meeting of the Commission on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, ongoing since 1979, would not take place due to liquidity issues with future ones "to be confirmed". Somerville called it a "huge setback" among many others. "We can describe this as a full-on assault on gender and the rights of women and girls," she said.
CBC
09-07-2025
- CBC
Ottawa police stats show 'significant' spike in intimate partner violence
New statistics from Ottawa police show an increase in intimate partner violence in the city, but people working on the front line say the data might not tell the whole story. According to the Ottawa Police Service's (OPS) senior adviser for violence against women, the number of reported incidents between January and June rose by nine per cent compared to the same period last year. Melanie Winwood called that increase "significant." "What we've seen since 2021 is a one to two per cent annual increase," she said. "So this nine per cent is quite a jump." Winwood is hoping the increase can be attributed to recent initiatives implemented to encourage women to come forward and report, and not just to a rise in intimate partner violence. For example, social workers acting as "risk navigators" now reach out to victims of incidents where no charges were laid to give them more information about the reporting process. "That has had a direct impact on the number of reports, for sure," said Winwood. Nor does the spike in reported incidents necessarily mean more women are being injured or killed by their partners in Ottawa, Winwood explained. Last year, two of seven women murdered in the city were victims of intimate partner violence. "[So far] in 2025, we've had four women murdered, and one of those was at the hands of an intimate partner," she said. Front-line workers seeing more cases At the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, program manager Aline Vlasceanu said there has been a clear increase in requests for individual counselling. "For context, in the last fiscal year we have had over 100 women on our waitlist for intimate partner violence counselling," she wrote in an email to CBC. "The need continues to outpace available resources." Vlasceanu said the centre has not noticed a corresponding increase in calls to its crisis lines, however. At the city's oldest women's shelter, Interval House of Ottawa, some front-line workers have noticed an increase in both the number of cases and their complexity. Spokesperson Taylor Blewett said one experienced outreach worker who recently returned after being away was taken aback by the sheer caseload. "She feels like it's grown more intense, and her experience does match what Ottawa police are seeing for intimate partner violence in the community," Blewett said. "We also hear that food insecurity, housing crunch, people's financial situations have become more dire … and we know that these are factors that contribute to intimate partner violence." Sarah Woodward worked on the front line at Interval House of Ottawa for 14 years before recently moving into a community engagement role. "For us, we've never seen a decrease in calls," she said. "There's thousands every year, and the shelter is always full." Woodward said there has recently been a significant increase in the length of time women typically stay at the shelter, from three months to six to 18. "That's preventing new folks looking for support from coming into the shelter," she said. A national trend Blewett said the data from Ottawa police matches that of Statistics Canada, which shows intimate partner violence is on the rise across the country. That's also hard on the workers whose job it is to help these women, she said. "There's frustration. There are solutions that have been thoughtfully considered in response to tragedies. We know this is preventable," she said.
