Local efforts are underway to stop domestic violence.
The John Howard Society and the RCMP have launched a domestic violence prevention program for the region.
“Stop Taking It Our On Your Partner has a 20-year history in northern B.C. of successfully supporting men struggling with anger and controlling behaviour in their intimate relationships,” said Barbara Levesque, John Howard executive director.
“The focus is on personal awareness, change, and healthy relationships. It’s all about prevention of violence and supporting those who recognize they have a problem.”
STOP is a voluntary program for men who recognize that their use of controlling or violent behaviour is having an impact on their relationships. The program is free and runs over 14 weeks, one evening per week.
The opportunity to bring the program to the North Okanagan is the result of a collaborative effort between RCMP domestic violence co-ordinator Const. Lisa McMullin and the John Howard Society.
“The RCMP believes in assisting communities in using problem-solving approaches to domestic violence,” said McMullin.
“We greatly value our relationship with the John Howard Society. The grant money we were able to obtain will allow them to fund the train the trainers program and run two pilot projects of STOP. This is a valuable program to help break the cycle of domestic violence, and I strongly believe it will have a positive impact on our community.”