‘Monster’ beat wife in front of kids
EDMONTON - A "heartless" Morinville "monster" who beat his wife to death in front of their three young children because she was leaving him was sentenced to life in prison Friday.
This was the headline in the Toronto Sun on Saturday, December 18th, 2010. The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation (JMMF) was established on January 15, 2012, in response to the tragic death of Jessica Martel, a 26 year old woman who was murdered by her husband in front of their children in Morinville, Alberta where I currently reside. The most tragic aspect of Jessica’s death is that she had a plan to leave her abusive
relationship, but had nowhere safe to go. In efforts to prevent such tragedy and to provide support to women and their families in similar situations, the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation aims to serve victims of domestic violence in Morinville, Sturgeon County and surrounding areas. Although tragedy was the driving force behind the creation of the JMMF, it was established as a result of a perceived need for a safe house within the community. Further exploration of this need has validated this perceived need and has provided additional drive for achieving its goal of establishing a safe house. I became involved with the Foundation in May 2012 and have taken on the role of both a practicum student and board member with this grassroots organization. I am passionate about serving my community as a result of having witnessed the impact of this tragedy on the family and the community. My five years of experience working at a women's shelter as a crisis intervention worker has greatly assisted in my work with the JMMF. My studies in domestic violence are at a community level due a belief that the method of service delivery needs to reflect the unique needs of the geographical area. A community based approach engages the community and enables creative service delivery; we can be flexible in the approach to the unique circumstances of women and families in need of support. The size and structure of the agency enables JMMF to adjust services to meet the needs of clients. The local basis of the foundation increases awareness of local needs and facilitates JMMF’s ability to respond to new and emerging needs. |
I have challenged myself to think outside the box in terms of a safe house
initiative that will serve our community using existing resources while taking into consideration the current political climate and "Housing First" model that the government is using. Part of this challenge has been to identify what is and isn't working in traditional shelters and to determine how to implement a safe house initiative while taking into consideration how to respect and restore the dignity of victims of domestic violence. One of the issues identified by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters has been that a traditional approach to shelter is not conducive to healing from trauma. Victims cannot be expected to heal from abuse in an institutionalized, shared accommodation environment wherein they are expected to leave within 21 days. Also, feedback from women in our rural community is that they do not want to go to an urban setting for shelter. I have further challenged myself to participate in and develop creative approaches to serving our target population in other ways, which has included self-defense courses to enhance self- esteem and a student engagement opportunity within the schools wherein one of Jessica’s family members share Jessica’s story in conjunction with existing education on Healthy Relationships. The anticipated outcome of my continued studies in domestic violence is to establish a safe house in my community that will be a model for other smaller communities. Furthermore, my hope is to continue to identify and address barriers that prevent women from leaving and staying out of abusive relationships. - Laura Hennie |