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Thursday, December 8, 2022 | 20 The IFP - Halton theifp.ca THE BEST GIFTIDEA WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AT THE BIA OFFICE me Downtown Georges $25 sense aN ongetoun MARKET nd 1iam-3pm Bundle up and head to Main Street for all your holiday needs. Featuring handmade crafts, locally cl season going. \ ind freshly made foods, the market has all you need to get your holiday holiday gifts can also be found inside our amazing BIA busine: too! dly and includes some exciting entertainment and activities for all ages. All aboard!! On December 10th at the Holiday Market, catch the holiday train to take you all around Do € Find ‘a and his team at the Church Street Parking Lot and take some family ph On D rd, shoot for the goal with Top Shot Hockey, and their amazing nes in the Church Street Parking Lot. More surprises, family fun and holiday r Treasure Awaits IBNEWS FOR HELP 1. Palm to camera and tuck thumb 2 Trop thumb Metroland illustration The social isolation measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic are maki difficult for those who are at risk of abuse or violence to safely reach out for help. "Sij Help" is a simple one-handed sign someone can use on a video call. It can help a person silently show they need help and want someone to check in with them in a safe way. WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS EXPERIENCING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE This week (Dec. 6) marked the National Day of Action and Remembrance on Violence Against Wom- en, a day to remember the 14 young women killed at Polytechnique Montréal on Dec. 6, 1889 and ee take action based vi violence. from Statistics canada in 2018 shows 44 pers hacia owe ‘women reported me form psychological, ohysical i sexual violence by an inti- mate partner in their life- "Do you know what to do if someone you know is ex- periencing violence? Asurvey by the Canadi- an Women's Foundation shows only one in six peo- ple in Canada are very con- fident that they would know what to say or do to support someot experi- encing sexual or emotional abuse, and one in five are very sonfident that they would know what to say or do to support someone ex- Perlencing physical abuse. Anyone can be abused — but women, girls and gender- -diverse people face a higher risk of gender- based violence. The risk is even higher for Indigenous and racial- ized women, transandnon- experiencing homelessness or are un- derhoused. In 2020, the Canadian Women's Foundation and its partners launched the Signal for Help hand signal risk jence during the pand The one-handed signal can be used silently and dis- then covering ihe thumb with four fing Signal for Help signifies “reach out to me safely"; it isnot necessarily arequest to call police. Here are some tips from the Canadian Women's Foundation on what to do if someone you know is expe- riencing abuse and how to respond if you see someone use the Signal for Help. SUPPORTING SOMEONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING ABUSI + Believe what they are telling you, be supportive and liste + Ask what you can do to help Be non-judgmental and let them make their own decisions + Offer to provide child care while they seek help fer your home or an- other location as a safe space + Support them to create a safety plan, which could include packing a small bag of essentials or open- ing a personal bank ac- count IF YOU SEE SOMEONE USE THE SIGNAL FOR HELP SIGN + Check in with them safely to find out what they need you to do + Send a text, WhatsApp message or email and ask general questions like “how are you doing?" or ree in touch when you can." Keep in mind that people in violent relation. ships may be closely mon- itored by their partner. “are you safe?" or "should I look for services that might help and call nehae back?" . rson experi- encing tiene needs to be connected to services, visit anadianwomen.org/sup- port: services for national and provincial services in- cluding crisis lines an shelters.