FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 20, 2020 3:25pm

(Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Sexual Assault and Child Abuse and the Partner Assault Sections are asking the community at large to remain vigilant about the potential for abuse towards women and children, considering they may be further isolated, per COVID-19 social distancing and self-isolation measures.



We extend the message to local community shelters, victim services, immigrant women's services, and crisis centres, and encourage police reporting.



Of concern is that victims of domestic abuse are potentially not attending hospitals or clinics for their injuries, and therefore a significant portion of our cases which would normally come from health care professionals, are going unreported. We encourage local Hospitals and Clinics to highlight to their respective communities that they are 'open and safe places for victims' who have been injured.



We understand that victims of domestic abuse may opt not to reach out to the police. To that end, we are providing a link to community resources as well as information from the Partner Abuse Section.



We continue to work closely with partners, including the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of Ottawa, to identify trends and mitigate the risks to vulnerable children. We urge everyone to pay special attention to the well-being of children and report any suspicious incident to the CAS or Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222.

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CONTACT:

Media Relations Section

Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366