An annual event to raise awareness about continued domestic violence in the community is taking place in Standoff on Friday, November 24th. Members of the Blood Tribe Police Service, along with other men in the community, including members of the Blood Tribe council, will put on a pair of heels and take part in the Annual ‘Walk In Her Shoes’ Domestic Violence Awareness Walk.
Kainai Women’s Wellness Lodge Lodge Manager Doris Low Horn says it is vital for people to know that domestic violence is alive and well in the community and happens every day, and that is what this walk represents.
“Back in the day when I was a young girl, there was domestic violence, but it was never talked about; no one ever said anything,” Low Horn says. “But today, we need to report [domestic violence incidents]; it needs to be our business because maybe the victim doesn’t have a voice, and we can be that voice. It is a strong message when we go out and tell others it is ok to report what another is going through.”
She adds while the event has been going on for nearly a decade, four years ago, the partnership with members of the Blood Tribe Police Service would lead the six-block walk in heels.
“That awareness is more meaningful knowing that we are walking behind them and the men are the ones wearing the shoes because they get that feel of when women are fleeing.”
She says the season plays a factor in the number of women and children staying in the facility; however, at any given time, at least eight women usually at the Kainai Women’s Wellness Lodge. At maximum capacity, the facility can house 10 women and 12 children.
The walk, put on in partnership by the Wellness Lodge, the Blood Tribe Police Service and the Blood Tribe Recreation and Parks department, will start at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 24th, at the Multi-Purpose Building in Standoff Alberta.