A Month of Awareness and Prevention

Violence against women is an issue that continues to plague virtually every society in the world. Research consistently shows that the experience of psychological, physical, or sexual abuse has severe effects on a woman's well-being long after the incident itself. According to one study, women who had experienced abuse in the previous 12 months were six times more likely to continue to experience psychological distress and four times as likely to use psychotropic drugs.

This month marks a few important days in the attempt to raise awareness of and to prevent violence against women. Ontario will observe Woman Abuse Prevention Month-see http://www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/owd/index.html. People around the world will observe International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25-see http://www.fac-aec.gc.ca/department/violence-against-women-en.asp.