24-hour help
Family violence is a crime – Call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate danger.
Call the Family Violence Info Line at 310-1818 to get help anonymously in more than 170 languages, or find family violence and domestic violence supports.
What you can do
- Offer to help at your local women’s shelter as a volunteer, board member or fundraiser.
- Share resources on family violence through social media and in your community.
- Organize or participate in a Family Violence Prevention Month activity in your area.
- Encourage your local public library to carry magazines and books about family violence.
- Collect toys, books and toiletry items from your neighbours to donate to your local youth or women's shelter.
What professionals can do
- Submit an article about family violence to your local newspaper, offer to speak on a radio station or write a blog post.
- Share resources on family violence through social media.
- Display articles, artwork and resources about family violence in your office.
- Ask the local health clinics to provide family violence resources in waiting and examining rooms.
- Ask local businesses to display family violence posters and resources.
- Work with local churches and faith communities to provide resources.
What men and boys can do
- Learn to recognize family violence and know how to help.
- Show leadership by discussing family violence with family, friends, neighbours and co-workers and teaching them about healthy relationships.
- Integrate family violence awareness in sports coaching and youth mentoring activities.
- Speak out against family violence at public events.
- Volunteer and fundraise for women’s emergency shelters and other agencies.
- Participate in community-based awareness activities and initiatives.
- Join associations that address family violence while promoting gender equality.
- Raise awareness in your workplace by hosting workshops or developing a protocol.
What schools can do
- Help children learn non-violent ways of dealing with conflict.
- Educate young people about dating violence and all other forms of abuse.
- Place dating violence posters in the school and provide family violence information sheets for students.
- Give copies of a dating safely checklist to all students on registration day.
- Include information about dating violence in the school newsletter.
- Develop a student led anti-violence and anti-bullying campaign.
- Honour students who work to reduce violence and bullying.
- Organize an event to collect teddy bears, quilts and other items to donate to a shelter for comforting children and youth.
What employers can do
- Establish policies that help all staff understand more about family violence and the resources and assistance that are available.
- Support employees who may be dealing with family violence issues.
- Share information at meetings, online or through print resources.
- Display prevention and support information in areas where your customers or clients can see it or take it with them.
- Work with community organizations to provide funding for programs and services to help victims of family violence.
- Sponsor an event to raise awareness during Family Violence Prevention Month.
What community organizations can do
- Contact the nearest Regional Family Violence and Bullying Prevention Coordinator to discuss family violence initiatives in your region.
- Create an interagency working group to formalize a commitment to end family violence in your community.
- Develop a listing of services available in your community to help those impacted by family violence.
- Identify and address family violence service gaps in your community.
- Start a support group for victims of family violence.
- Plan a public forum on family violence.
- Distribute family violence awareness resources to businesses, employers, medical professionals and faith organizations.
- Proclaim Family Violence Prevention Month each November, coordinate a campaign and encourage individuals and community groups to participate in awareness activities.