Children Are Involved
No child should ever have to witness or experience abuse. Family abuse can have serious, long-term emotional, physical and behavioural consequences. Children who witness family abuse are at increased risk of growing up to become either victims or abusers.
Fortunately, early intervention and ongoing support for these children is very effective in breaking cycles of abuse in families. The Kelowna Women's Shelter offers the Children Who Witness Abuse Program for children age 3-18 who have been exposed to family abuse. The Children Who Witness Abuse Program includes both group and individual psycho-educational counselling services, as well as support for mothers/caregivers.
It is the legal and ethical responsibility of every adult to report children being exposed to family abuse. Information on how to report family abuse is available at:
http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/child_protection/reportabuse.htm
