U of R launches new bursary to support victims of domestic violence

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Those who leave a violent relationship may be forced to do so with nothing more than the clothes on their back.

As Jill Arnott, executive director of the Women’s Centre at the University of Regina (U of R) puts it, they “may not even have a pot to cook in.”

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A new bursary announced Thursday aims to provide a small bit of financial relief for those who find themselves in such a situation while trying to undertake studies at the university.

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Arnott knows full well there are students that could use the money that will be on offer beginning in fall 2024 from the Gender Based Violence Bursary. She’s heard their stories first-hand.

While gender-based violence refers to people who are targeted for their gender, Arnott says in the context of the bursary, the target audience is “female-identified students who are experiencing intimate partner violence — domestic violence, partnership violence.”

And in this province there is an overabundance of people who experience what Statistics Canada also calls intimate partner violence.

As it has for a number of years, Saskatchewan held the highest rate among the provinces in 2022 for intimate partner violence reported to police, with 732 victims per 100,000 people, according to a report published by the federal statistics agency in November 2023. The national average for the period was 346 per 100,00 people.

Nationally, 78 per cent of victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in 2022 were women and girls.

At a news conference announcing the bursary, Arnott gave a characteristically impassioned statement about the circumstances women often find themselves in, the barriers they can face, and her views on societal conditioning of young people.

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Boys learn early that anger and physical force are appropriate ways to express emotion, she said, later adding she’s also seen behaviours in young people that give her hope about changing perceptions.

Currently, funding is in place to allow for two $1,000-bursaries to be made available to women each year over the next six years. The initial $12,000 comes from the Women’s Centre, as well as donors Robin Evans and david Gregory, according to a news release.

However, Arnott and the initial donors are hopeful others will see the value of the bursary and donate so it can be expanded beyond six years.

“Grassroots change often starts small,” Arnott said. “It’s a way for us to begin.”

While details about the eligibility requirements will eventually be available through the Women’s Centre website, Arnott says they are really quite simple. The bursaries will be open to any women who are enrolled in at least three credit-hours at the university and are accessing support provided by the Women’s Centre and/or the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Response.

The latter requirement means the situation of an applicant will likely already be known, to some degree, Arnott said.

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“There’s no evidence required, so to speak,” she noted.

Nor will the names of recipients be published, unlike some other financial awards given at a university.

“Everything has been done with the intention of protecting the privacy of that individual,” Arnott said, noting the name of a recipient will only be used for payment arrangements.

Anyone who has a question about the application process, or has interest in supporting it financially, is asked to contact Arnott through the Women’s Centre.

• If you are experiencing domestic violence or are concerned about your safety, call 211 for information about safe shelters in your community or visit the PATHS website for agencies’ contact information.

bharder@postmedia.com

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