Frequently Asked Questions

Our services support women and their children who are being abused or have experienced abuse or domestic violence in their life.

Abuse against women comes in many forms and can happen to any woman regardless of age, race, education, or socio-economic status. There are many forms of abuse including emotional/psychological, physical, sexual, financial and spiritual. Abusers often isolate women from their friends, family and community.

Abuse is when someone uses their power to control you and/or…

• Slaps, punches, scratches, pushes, bites, strangles or kicks you
• Threatens to hurt you
• Uses a gun, knife, box cutter, bat, mace or other weapon
• Forces you to have sex or perform a sexual act
• Grabs you to prevent you from leaving or forces you to go somewhere
• Calls you names and puts you down
• Yells and screams at you
• Prevents you from seeing or talking to friends and family
• Damages your property when they are angry (throws objects, punches walls, kicks doors, etc.)
• Accuses you of cheating and is often jealous of your outside relationships
• Threatens to have your children taken away
• Uses money to hold power against you

Emotional/Psychological abuse is when someone controls the other person through insults, humiliation, verbal threats, intimidation, name calling, harassment and isolation. What starts as emotional abuse often leads to physical violence. It should never be taken lightly.

Financial abuse is when someone controls another person’s financial resources. Often women who are abused have no access to the family income, have to ask for money for household purchases, are prevented from having a job or have to turn their paycheck over to their partner. Limiting financial resources is one way in which an abuser keeps a woman dependant on him. Financial abuse is one of the leading forms of abuse among older women and often occurs when a family member gets control of her financial resources against her will.

Spiritual abuse is when someone is not allowed to practice their religious beliefs or, on the contrary is forced to become a member of a religious group or cult.

Sexual abuse can include unwanted touching, harrassing sexually, explicit phone calls, forced sexual activities and rape. Contrary to myth, sexual abuse most often occurs between people who know each other and not a stranger.

Physical abuse is the type of abuse that comes to mind when most people think about someone they know who is being abused. Physical abuse often, but not always, follows a history of other types of abuse (i.e. emotional, financial, sexual or spiritual). Physical abuse is when a partner uses physical force to control another person. Abuse includes any act of physical aggression including slapping, kicking, biting, punching, beating and can ultimately result in murder. The severity of physical violence often increases. Once physical violence has started, it rarely stops and often gets worse.

If you know a woman who is being abused:

• Listen to her
• Believe what she is saying
• Encourage her to seek help
• Give her the names and numbers of local emergency shelters and crisis lines

Always think about your safety:

• Check the first two pages of your local phone book for all emergency numbers. Write them down or put them in your cell phone. 800 numbers can be called for free from pay phones.
• When you are being threatened or fear for your safety, call 911
• If you are being assaulted, make noise: neighbours may call the police for you
• Teach your children how to call 911 for help and make a safety plan with them and the neighbours if possible
• Contact your local women’s shelter for further help with safety planning

If you are thinking of leaving:

• Start saving as much money as you can
• Open a bank account in your own name and arrange that statements are not mailed to you
• Try to keep money aside for a taxi and quarters for pay phones
• Plan emergency exits and teach your children emergency exits
• Hide extra clothes, house keys, car keys, money, etc., at a friend’s house or in a safe place

If you need to leave in a hurry try to take:

• Keys – house and car
• Identification – Social Insurance Number, health card, birth certificates, driver’s license, passport, immigration papers, wallet, bank cards and bank books
• Medication for you and your children: prescription and over the counter
• Change of clothes
• Children’s favourite toy

The services provided by Women’s Resources are available to abused women and their children. Services are located in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.

All services are free and confidential.

Women can contact Women’s Resources directly by calling the 24 hour support line 705-878-3662 or toll free at 1-800-565-5350

Women’s Resources Program Statistics

Victoria’s Shelter: Sheltering 2,329 women and 2,091 children since 1992

Crisis Support Line: Receiving 29,350 support and crisis calls since 1992

Amy’s Next Step Housing:  362 women and 403 children have resided at Amy’s Next Step Housing program since 1993

Community Services: Counselling 5,238 women who are experiencing abuse or who have experienced abuse since 1993

Community Support: Community support & referral for 1,953 women since 1995

Child Witness Program: Since 2000, the Child Witness Program has been providing group counselling to 658 children who have witnessed violence in their homes, while 369 moms attended a separate group to gain information and support on how best to help their children.

Volunteers: 1,485 volunteers have contributed over 201,000 hours since 1989!

To view our library resources online:

Women’s Resources provides information and education about violence against women and women’s issues. Our extensive online library offers you tools to become better informed. Click here to view.

We also have a resource library which is open to the public that offers a wide range of material on women’s issues.

Books and DVDs are available in our library covering topics such as women abuse, separation and divorce, custody, child care, parenting, self-esteem, teen dating, sexuality, aging and much more.

The library is open to the public during the regular business hours of Women’s Resources. Books and DVDs are made available to loan for two weeks.

In addition, we have a number of pamphlets and information on various community resources and support.

Staff are available for public speaking to any community group.

For 24-hour Help call:
Police, Fire, Ambulance	911
Women’s Resources:
Victoria’s Women’s Shelter and 24 hour support line	705.878.3662
Toll Free Crisis support line	1.800.565.5350
Community Services & Counselling	705.878.4285
Amy’s Next Step Housing	705.878.9806
Vicky’s Values Unique Boutique	705.878.5938
Other Services:
ELLE-ECOUTE (French speaking crisis line)	416.657.2229
Toll Free	1.877.679.2229
Distress Centre Durham	905.433.1121
Toll Free	1.800.452.0688
e-mail	dcd@distresscentredurham.com
Kids Help Phone	1.800.668.6868
Assaulted Women’s Help Line	1.416.863.0511
Toll Free	1.866.863.0511
Toll Free TTY	1.866.863.7868
from Bell Mobility phone	#SAFE (7233)