While Halloween is the time of year to tell imaginary stories that give goosebumps, the organization La Maison grise invites Quebecers to dwell on an equally frightening, but very real story: that of domestic violence.
With a campaign called “Windows on Horror”, the shelter wants to raise awareness among Quebecers of what goes on behind closed doors and collect donations to support women who are victims of violence, as well as their children.
“On Halloween, people decorate their homes to scare passers-by. But for many women, the house that scares the most is theirs, ”we can read in a video released Wednesday by the organization.
On a soundtrack of horror movie music, windows of different houses are covered one by one with Halloween decorations. These depict scenes of domestic violence and are accompanied by the words “Help us stop the horror”.
These decorations used in the awareness video, however, are not sold to the public.
Since spousal violence is often hidden from the entourage and mostly not reported to the police, it is a phenomenon of which it is “difficult for the public to understand the extent”, explains La Maison grise.
However, a quarter of crimes against the person in Quebec are committed in the context of spousal violence. SOS violence conjugale estimates that 12 women and 6 children have lost their lives since the beginning of the year due to this type of violence.
“We must redouble our efforts to meet the growing needs of victims. Unfortunately, many of the feminicides could have been avoided, ”laments Nathalie Lamarche, executive director of La Maison grise, in a press release.
Mme Lamarche also insists on the need for violent men to seek help “before committing the irreparable”.