BURNS LAKE (NEWS1130) – The women of northern BC are breaking the silence.

It’s taken a tragic mill fire in Burns Lake for women to admit they are victims of domestic violence.

The RCMP detachment in Burns Lake has seen a 200 per cent increase in domestic abuse calls since last year.

Angela Marie MacDougall of Battered Women Support Services says violence in the north has been at epidemic levels, but speculates more women are reporting the violence because it’s escalating.

“If there has been emotional abuse, we’re seeing a spike in physical abuse. We can attribute that to the stresses that we’ve seen in the region,” she says.

She says abused women in the North face extra challenges, since they’re more likely to be financially dependent on their spouse, are physically isolated and live where news of domestic problems spreads quickly through the community.

“Within rural communities, it is extremely difficult for women because everybody knows everybody, women aren’t able to leave their home because of a lack of transportation or lack of a support network.”

She says the demand for resources for battered women in rural BC outstrips resources.