Black women face high domestic violence rates, but stigma keeps many silent, support groups say
Advocates say social pressures and mistrust of justice system holds survivors back
After escaping an abusive relationship, Lesley-Ann Parris thought her next boyfriend would treat her differently. She said she met him while in a vulnerable place.
"As soon as we met, it just turned into a relationship," Parris told CBC News. Shortly after, Parris says he started yelling at her, breaking doors and punched her in the face.
Parris, now 32 and living in Vancouver, says she felt too ashamed to confide in her mother when she was first abused, even though she was very close to her.
"Being a Black woman, I don't want her to see me weak or anything like that. I should be strong in these situations. I don't need her help," she said.
"It makes it so much harder to get the help that you need when you have these narratives in the back of your head."
Support groups working with battered women say many Black survivors of intimate partner violence don't report abuse to their loved ones or the police due to barriers such as a lack of trust in the criminal justice system and a long-standing societal belief that Black women should always present an image of strength.
Black women face some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence among minority groups, according to Statistics Canada.
The latest data from 2018 shows 42 per cent of Black women have suffered intimate partner violence, compared to 29 per cent of ethnic minorities. Statistics Canada is expected to publish new data on the topic in 2026.
In the U.S., Black women are more than twice as likely than white women to be killed by an intimate partner, according to 2020 data from the Violence Policy Centre.
'I chose not to call the police'
Parris says her trust in police eroded when officers responded to one of her fights with a partner, but there was no arrest or charges. She said she didn't want the police to be involved again.
"What's the point of this system if we're not actually helping people, if we're not preventing [and] being more proactive about it," she said.
"If nothing's ever going to happen … until I'm physically harmed or dead. What's the point?"
Lucy Hagos, manager of social enterprise at Vancouver's Battered Women's Support Services, says while the experiences of Black women who face violence are unique from one person to another, many feel like they're not believed or taken seriously by law enforcement.
"The justice system is designed against people of colour, but particularly Black folks and specifically Black women ... which is often the reason why there's low rates of reporting," she said.
In a statement to CBC News, the Vancouver Police Department said barriers that prevent people from coming forward include social stigma, financial dependence and fear of retribution from abusive partners.
"Everyone should do more to break down those barriers, but oversimplifying this issue by focusing on police only reinforces negative and outdated stereotypes that promote distrust," the police department said.
Andrine Johnson, who says she's been in multiple abusive relationships, said the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada's justice system as both victims and people accused or convicted of crime made her hesitant to report her experiences.
Johnson said she didn't want to add to the statistics, so much so that she didn't report her abuser.
"I didn't want to be a part of that," she said. "So I chose not to call the police."
Johnson completed her master's dissertation on Black survivors of intimate partner violence and is now the CEO of the Embrave Agency to End Violence.
She said major changes are needed in the justice system to support Black survivors.
The federal government said it has been working on a Black Justice Strategy since 2021, aiming to "address anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination that has led to the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims of crime."
It also said it's working with other levels of government and Black communities to make transformative changes to the criminal justice system.
Strong Black woman trope
Nataizya Mukwavi, founding executive director of Black Women Connect Vancouver, says many Black survivors don't feel comfortable telling their friends and family about their abusive relationships because there's a strong belief that Black women can face any adversity. She says that trope can be damaging for survivors.
"A lot of people think that we can just take everything and that's just not true. Everybody has a breaking point," she said in an interview.
Parris says when she first started speaking openly about her abusive relationships, her grandmother, who helped her escape the abuse, advised her to not talk about her experiences and instead maintain the appearance that everything was fine.
"I think just to protect the culture and so that we're seen in a good light," Parris said.
This month, Battered Women's Support Services and Black Women Connect Vancouver launched an awareness campaign and video series to help survivors break their silence.
"Vulnerability is a strength," said Mukwavi, who organizes a variety of events and workshops for Black women to heal from trauma and build community.
She said those spaces are especially important in Metro Vancouver where culturally specific support services are limited and the Black population is fairly small.
The Black community in the region has historically been one of the smallest in the country, with only about 29,830 people or 1.2 per cent of the total population in 2016, according to that census.
But it has grown in recent years, with the 2021 census showing about 41,000 Black residents in Metro Vancouver.
'We heal in community'
"So many times, especially as Black women, people don't hear us. They don't see us. And we find ourselves in spaces where we're the only [Black] person either in school, at work, walking down the street, in a restaurant, anywhere. We find ourselves isolated," Mukwavi said.
"We heal in community and so being able to come together is just really important for us to find healing."
Parris has documented her years-long healing journey on her social media to let other survivors know that they're not alone. She's also the CEO of a meditation business, offering yoga classes and sound baths to help people through their trauma.
"We need to remove the stigma," said Parris, who's also now in a healthy relationship.
"When things come up for me, he's able to just be there and hold space for me. That's one of the greatest things. But I've also healed a lot myself.
"I took the time to do the work to overcome all of it."
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
