Battered Women Who Have Been Arrested

If you have worked with more than one battered woman who has been arrested, please fill out the survey as many times as needed.

Back in 2008, Battered Women’s Support Services confronted the growing problem of police services misapplying “pro-arrest” policies and criminalizing battered women for self-defending in domestic violence situations. We came to this confrontation authentically when we began supporting a growing number of women who were arrested for allegedly perpetrating domestic violence against their male partner and these arrests occurred despite the fact that in all cases the women were in relationships where their male partners were abusing them. This was evidenced by previous police reports, hospital/doctor visits, child witnesses and neighbour or co-worker accounts.

We continue doing this work as one of the only organizations in B.C. supporting women who have been arrested. In 2017, Battered  Women's Support Services will provide training to service providers on this issue.

Thank you.