Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee.

I would like to convey my gratitude to the standing committee for this invitation and to the survivors who have shared their stories courageously in the hope of creating a safer country for all girls and women.

We know the data on the prevalence of intimate partner violence in our country is overwhelming. We know this is a phenomenon that is under-reported. The number of victims is far greater than we know, especially those who experience coercive control.

My name is Shelina Jeshani and I am the director of the Safe Centre of Peel, which is located in the region of Peel in Ontario. The Safe Centre is an innovative, evidence-based and best-practice model of how a community can work together to respond and provide a safety net for victims of IPV. The centre has been in operation since 2011 because of the commitment of 24 community partners, led by Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin. Together they provide an integrated and coordinated service delivery model.

In 2008, our community partners began discussing how we needed to respond differently to IPV in our community. We couldn't continue to work in silos, duplicate services and watch while vulnerable women, with their children, tried to navigate systems we had created. Survivors told us they did not want to have to repeat their stories over and over. They did not want to be told they couldn't bring their children with them to these different services. They often gave up trying to travel from place to place and navigate a complex system they didn't understand. They didn't know where to go for help and what was available for them. We were losing our early intervention opportunities. We heard that it was particularly difficult for victims who didn't speak the language, were new Canadians, had low to no finances, had young children, and had virtually no support system. The Safe Centre of Peel recognizes that cross-sectoral collaboration among human services is vital in responding to victims and survivors of IPV.

We see survivors coming forward with various experiences of abuse and violence. One of the most subtle forms we see is coercive control. This is behaviour that attempts to dominate, intimidate and isolate victims. It involves psychological, emotional and financial manipulation. This can play out as constant tracking and surveillance, threats, isolating victims from their friends and family, and controlling finances and resources. It can be masked by comments such as, “I don't want to share you with anyone else” or, “I will manage the money and let you know how much you can spend.”

At first, the various attempts to maintain control are disguised by the perpetrator's perceived overwhelming worry and concern for the victim, or by their increased dependency on having their emotional needs met by the victim. We hear women sharing how signs of coercive control sometimes began subtly in the early part of their relationship, where he would start exhibiting jealousy and having an over-dependence on the victim to cater to his emotional needs, therefore slowly beginning to isolate and control her.

We know that forms of coercive control increase as the perpetrator feels less and less in control. Research shows that when there is coercive control in relationships, there is a high risk of it escalating to physical violence, including severe assaults and even homicide. For many victims, coercive control creates an environment of fear and entrapment that can quickly deteriorate into more overt forms of abuse.

The effects of coercive control are profound, causing psychological trauma, loss of autonomy and long-term mental health issues for survivors. We cannot forget the impact that living in a home with this type of control and abuse has on children and youth.

The following are some of our recommendations.

There is a need for public awareness campaigns to educate Canadians about coercive control and its impacts. The goal should be to raise awareness to support early intervention and prevention.

Invest in specialized services for victims of coercive control, including access to legal support, safe housing, trauma-informed counselling and financial assistance.

Integrated hubs like the Safe Centre of Peel that have a number of sectors working together should be adequately resourced to support the unique needs of victims experiencing non-physical forms of abuse, in order to provide early intervention support.

Law enforcement and justice need more training on understanding the holistic nature of the dynamics of IPV, which includes coercive control.

Finally, further research and more data on the prevalence of coercive control and effectiveness of various interventions are needed.

In conclusion, recognizing coercive control early and intervening effectively is crucial to preventing potential escalation to physical violence, thereby saving lives. This is where we need the strategy and the investment.

Thank you for the opportunity to share the work of the Safe Centre of Peel and for your commitment to address gender-based violence.

I will be happy to take any questions.