📰 Amnesty International Calls on Ontario to Declare Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic Amid Shelter Crisis

In December 2024, Amnesty International Canada issued a powerful statement to Ontario’s government: declare intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic and take urgent action to address the province’s shelter shortage crisis.

Every night, hundreds of women and children are turned away from Ontario shelters because there simply aren’t enough beds. With waitlists stretching for months and survivors in rural and northern regions sometimes relocated hundreds of kilometers away, the crisis is no longer just a social service issue — it has become a human rights emergency.

The Shelter Shortage Crisis in Ontario

• Overflowing Waitlists: Many shelters have waitlists that last weeks or even months, even for emergency placements.

• Dangerous Alternatives: Survivors forced to leave abusive homes often end up sleeping in cars, couch-surfing, or in unsafe motels.

• Rural & Northern Gaps: Northern and rural Ontario have the fewest shelter resources, with some survivors transported far from their communities — cutting them off from jobs, schools, and support systems.

• Impact on Children: Kids caught in these situations face educational disruptions, trauma, and long-term health consequences.

Amnesty’s Key Demands

Amnesty International Canada argues that Ontario must move beyond piecemeal funding and take systemic action:

1. Declare IPV an Epidemic

   • Formal recognition would elevate IPV to the level of a public health and safety emergency, creating accountability for government action.

2. Emergency Shelter Funding

   • Immediate investment is needed to add new shelter beds, staff, and resources across Ontario.

3. Long-Term Affordable Housing Solutions

   • Survivors cannot rebuild lives without stable housing. Amnesty calls for affordable and transitional housing development dedicated to IPV survivors.

4. Stronger Legal Protections

   • Housing support must be paired with legal reforms to ensure protective orders, firearm surrender laws, and bail conditions are enforced.

Why This Matters: Life and Death Stakes

Shelter shortages are not just about housing — they are about survival. Research shows that survivors are at the greatest risk of being killed when leaving an abusive partner. Without safe housing, many survivors are forced to return to abusers, where the chance of femicide increases dramatically.

By framing IPV as a human rights issue, Amnesty underscores that survivors’ right to safety is being denied when governments fail to provide adequate shelter and housing options.

Government’s Position and Criticism

Ontario has invested in gender-based violence services and crisis lines, highlighting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over recent years.

However, critics argue these investments fall short of the scale of need:

• Shelter space has not expanded proportionally to population growth or the rise in IPV cases.

• Survivors continue to be turned away daily, proving systemic underinvestment.

• One-time funding boosts are not enough — advocates want multi-year, predictable commitments to allow shelters to plan and expand sustainably.

Community and Advocacy Response

• Women’s Shelters Canada and OAITH (Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses) have echoed Amnesty’s call, pushing for epidemic recognition and long-term funding.

• Survivors are increasingly sharing their stories publicly, highlighting experiences of being forced back to abusers due to shelter shortages.

• Rural municipalities have joined the call, warning that regional inequities leave northern communities particularly vulnerable.

Conclusion

Amnesty International’s urgent plea to Ontario is more than a symbolic demand — it is a call to action that reframes intimate partner violence as a provincial epidemic and a human rights crisis.

Until survivors are guaranteed safe shelter and stable housing, Ontario cannot claim to be making meaningful progress against domestic violence. Recognition, funding, and systemic reform are essential to prevent more lives from being lost.

FAQs

1. What did Amnesty International call for in Ontario?
They urged the province to declare IPV an epidemic and provide emergency shelter funding.

2. How many women and children are turned away nightly?
Hundreds across Ontario, according to reports from advocacy groups.

3. Why are shelters unable to meet demand?
Chronic underfunding, lack of affordable housing, and limited rural resources.

4. Which regions face the biggest shortages?
Rural and northern Ontario communities.

5. Why does Amnesty call this a human rights issue?
Because denying safe shelter puts lives at risk and violates survivors’ right to safety.