Every hour, an Alberta woman suffers violence from an intimate partner. Yet, despite countless public campaigns to raise awareness of the increasing violence against women, nothing truly changes. Even more so, when women successfully speak out and ask for help, they are tormented, and the blame miraculously shifts.
In this way, women experience harms of domestic violence far more than men. So much so that the Government of Alberta drafted and enacted Clare’s Law – or the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence Act. The act gives people who feel at risk of domestic violence a way to get information about their partners to make informed choices about their safety. Alberta’s version of Clare’s Law is named after a young woman killed by an ex-boyfriend with a history of violence against women.
Sanity Before Safety
On April 1, 2021, Alberta’s version of Clare’s Law came into effect, signifying a shift towards supporting women and victims of domestic abuse. The underlying assumption is that under the effective Edmonton Police Service, domestic violence will be adequately recorded to reflect a perpetrator’s prior abuses. However, what happens when abuses are not reported?
It is important to note that eighty percent of victims of domestic abuse do not report their abuse to the police. Further, instances where police undermine and paradoxically support the abuser widely occur. In such circumstances, the police officers must get the information and ultimately conclude a case. This becomes challenging when the women in question are beyond hurt and deemed “hysterical” or emotional – a sign that they are unreliable.
Signs of Coercive Control
One harrowing example is from Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger whose remains were recovered in September in a national park, who died by strangulation. Before her death by partner Brian Laundrie, a bystander called the police informing them that Laundrie was seen slapping Petito in the parking lot of a Utah hotel. Upon arrival, the police’s body camera footage shows Petito crying, explaining how Laundrie had kicked her out of her van – citing she was “cleaning too much.”
Throughout the hour-long footage, the officer fails to question Laundrie about the incident they were called for – slapping Petito. Further, the officer emphasizes that he “will not charge Petito with DV [domestic violence],” solidifying the assumption that Petitio was the aggressor rather than the victim.
Granting Men the Benefit of the Doubt
Weeping, Petito apologizes profusely, admitting to scratching and hitting Laundrie. Meanwhile, Laundrie is calm, chatting and joking with police officers. Despite various indicators of coercive control, the officers failed to understand the complexity and variability within domestic violence cases.
In cases of coercive control, domestic violence is neither primarily domestic nor necessarily violent; instead, a pattern of controlling behaviours closely linked to hostage-taking. In this sense, domestic violence cases stemming from coercive control fall under legal and judicial purview. As a result, policies like Clare’s Law reinforce a picture of domestic violence within a physical capacity without addressing psychological and mental control.
Navigating the Police
With this in mind, navigate Clare’s Law with care. Not only are police ill-equipped to handle cases of domestic violence involving coercive control, but they may shift the blame onto the victim. In many cases, the abuser isolates their victim, meaning they are less likely to seek support during crises.
As a result, communications with the police occur in dramatic, ultimately devastating circumstances, meaning women are more likely to appear dishevelled in contrast to the abuser. In such situations, reaching out to support can be an incredibly profound tool in navigating support systems, even if they had previously fallen off.
And although Petito’s case became international news, an exponential number of racialized and Indigenous women and girls fall prey to coercive, abusive men. Support networks such as the Sagesse Domestic Violence Prevention Society help victims of domestic abuse and provide services to counter the intensify and frequency of domestic violence. Importantly, their program Real Talk specifically brings domestic violence into focus for all Albertans.
Open and transparent dialogue manifests and, in turn, empowers victims to speak out and help others. Creating a robust network of domestic violence survivors, increasing awareness and policy changes can help future women and girls. Rather than normalizing coercive, abusive behaviour, we can take a step back and realize that instances of coercive control are damaging and cause violence.
In Edmonton, those experiencing domestic violence can find resources concerning domestic violence through the Edmonton Police Service, the Edmonton John Howard Society, YWCA Edmonton, and Catholic Social Services alongside the use of Clare’s Law within a policy context.
Monica Bassili writes a weekly column for Ladiescorner.ca
