Renfrew County declares intimate partner violence an epidemic

Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton are pictures in this composite photo. (Point2 Homes, Genevieve Way, Facebook)

The County of Renfrew has declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.

Council passed a resolution to implement one of the recommendations from last year's inquest into the murders of three women in the Ottawa Valley.

Statistics show every six days a woman is killed by her intimate partner in Canada, and one-in-five women experience some form of abuse in their intimate relationship. The county says since December, two women have been killed by men in Renfrew County.

"It’s unfortunate Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and the murder of women in our community and society as a whole still need to be discussed," Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon said in a statement.

"Municipal governments can no longer remain silent on the sidelines. County Council and our community want change. We will advocate for change, we will support the victims, the survivors and the family members who are affected by violence.

"Change occurs when we all agree Intimate Partner Violence is wrong and denounce it."

JoAnne Brooks, coordinator for End Violence Against Women – Renfrew County, says she is "proud to live" in a county that publicly supports naming intimate partner violence as an epidemic.

Ottawa city council and Lanark County have also declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.

A coroner's inquest into the 2015 deaths of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam made 86 recommendations, including declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic.