CALGARY, AB – November is Family Violence Prevention Month and this year the Calgary Domestic Violence Collective (CDVC) is looking to Calgarians to be part of the solution to end family violence.

Domestic violence has steadily been rising in Calgary over the last few years with 2017 being on track to have 34 per cent more incidents of domestic violence than the 5-year average. In total, police responded to 3089 domestic violence calls in the first three quarters of the year.

As a kick-off to November Family Violence Prevention Month, the CDVC in partnership with Alberta Community & Social Services, is hosting the second annual Bridging Communities Conference in order to provide critical information to professionals working with families who are experiencing family violence.

In conjunction with theconference, CDVC is launching a social media campaign called ‘Pin Your Purple’ in an effort to mobilize Calgarians to raise awareness and show their support for preventing family violence. The campaign will encourage community members to wear purple ribbons or tie purple ribbons around their communityand post photos on social media with the tag #breakthesilenceyyc.

You can participate in the campaign by visiting CDVC’s social media and watch the short campaign video.

Other things you can do to get involved in Family Violence Prevention Month:

  • Talk to your children about what kinds of behaviours are healthy in a relationship and which ones are not.
  • Donate to organizations that work to support families affected by domestic and sexual violence.
  • Volunteer with organizations that work to support families affected by domestic and sexual violence.
  • If you know someone who is in an unhealthy relationship, learn how you can support them.

Please contact the resources listed below for support if you or someone you know may be experiencing domestic abuse. If the danger is immediate, call 911. If you are experiencing abuse or have questions about domestic abuse, please call: 403-234-7233 (SAFE). If you are experiencing or have questions about sexual abuse and sexual assault, please call: 403-237-5888.

Media Availability:

Representatives from the CDVC and the Calgary Police Service will be available for media interviews.

When: November 1st, 2017 – 8:30am
Where: Hotel AlmaLobby(169 University Gate NW)

For further inquiries, please contact:

Cathy Alfonso, Calgary Domestic Violence Collective: 587-433-7603