A partner who controls your access to money. Isolates you from friends or family. Makes you afraid to disagree or leave.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) can take many forms. It is not always physical or easy to recognize and it is a serious issue in our community.
This November, during Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we’re raising awareness of IPV in Halton, helping residents recognize the signs and connecting people with trusted local support.
Understanding intimate partner violence in Halton
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. It can happen in dating relationships, marriages and common-law relationships. Beyond physical violence, IPV can include threats, intimidation and controlling behaviours that make someone feel isolated, powerless or unsafe.
IPV is a serious concern in our community. In 2025, Halton Regional Police responded to 3,996 police-reported IPV occurrences—an average of more than ten every day. IPV can affect individuals of any age, income, culture or background and many cases go unreported every year.
Our role in Halton
Recognizing the need for coordinated community action, Halton Region declared IPV and violence against women an epidemic in 2023.
Through our Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, we continuously work with community partners to address IPV in our community. This includes a dedicated IPV Action Table, which brings local organizations together to share expertise, strengthen coordination and improve access to services and support.
Over the past three years, the Region has invested more than $1.75 million through the Halton Region Community Investment Fund to strengthen local IPV and gender-based violence services. This includes an investment of more than $303,000 to support a coordinated community response to intimate partner violence, including the launch of the Halton 360 Hub and a pledge program focused on prevention, education and support for victims of IPV, sexual violence and human trafficking. These investments help expand service capacity, strengthen safety planning and connect survivors and people at risk with the supports they need.
Warning signs of intimate partner violence
It is not always easy to understand behaviours in a relationship, especially when moments of care and affection can exist alongside behaviours that leave someone feeling isolated, pressured or afraid.
Understanding the signs of gender-based violence or intimate partner violence can help individuals reflect on their own experiences and recognize opportunities to support friends, family members, or colleagues. Trusting your instincts and seeking information are important first steps.
Signs to be aware of include:
- Emotional, psychological and verbal abuse: insulting or humiliating you, making you doubt your experiences, blaming you for the abuse or dismissing its impact.
- Financial abuse: controlling your access to money, taking your earnings or preventing you from working.
- Sexual abuse: pressuring or forcing you into sexual activity you do not want.
- Physical abuse: hitting, pushing, restraining you or threatening physical harm.
- Isolation and monitoring: limiting your contact with friends or family, checking your messages or tracking your location to monitor and control you.
- Cultural or spiritual abuse: using beliefs, traditions or religious or cultural community to pressure or control you.
Learn more about relationship warning signs through Halton Women’s Place (external link).
Support resources in Halton
If something in your relationship—or someone else’s—has you concerned, support is available.
You do not need to label your experience or decide what to do next before reaching out. You can talk through your questions and explore your options at your own pace with a trusted professional.
The following organizations offer support, care and connections to support you or your loved ones.
- Halton Women’s Place (external link): Emergency shelter and outreach services for women and children experiencing domestic violence, along with 24-hour crisis support and online crisis chat. 24-hour crisis/support lines:
- South shelter: 905-332-7892
- North shelter: 905-878-8555
- Sexual Assault & Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS) of Halton (external link): Free, confidential support for survivors of sexual violence, including women, men, transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Services include counselling and a 24-hour crisis/support line.
- 24-hour crisis/support line: 905-875-1555
- Intake: 905-825-3622
- Halton 360 Hub - Thrive Counselling (external link): A free program connecting survivors of IPV, sexual assault and human trafficking with services at any point in their journey. Navigators help people access supports such as counselling, housing, legal support and financial assistance.
- Call: 365-378-7868
- Halton 360 Hub is not a crisis service.
- Thrive Counselling - Violence Against Women Program (external link): Free individual and group counselling through its Violence Against Women Program for women who have experienced abuse in an intimate relationship. Group programs are also available for children exposed to abuse.
- Burlington office: 905-637-5256
- Milton counselling office: 905-845-3811
- The Women’s Centre of Halton (external link): Support for women through peer support, counselling, family court support, employment coaching and workshops.
Peer support line: 905-847-5520 - Nina’s Place — Joseph Brant Hospital (external link): Specialized health care and support for people who have experienced recent sexual assault or domestic violence. Services can be accessed through Joseph Brant Hospital’s Emergency Department.
- Call: 905-632-3737, ext. 5708
- Emergency Department: 905-336-4116
- Halton Regional Police Service - Intimate Partner and Other Violence (external link): Information about reporting IPV, what happens when police become involved, safety planning and community supports. Resources are also available in multiple languages.
- Non-emergency: 905-825-4777
- Emergency: 911
- Mulberry - Gender-Based Violence Service Resources (external link): An online resource hub to help you find emergency shelters, sexual assault centres and other gender-based violence services across Ontario.
- Halton Information Providers (HIP) (external link): A comprehensive online directory of community services in Halton, including abuse and assault supports, housing, counselling and other resources.
Working together to address IPV in Halton
Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected in their relationships. If something in this article feels familiar, explore the resources above to find support for yourself or someone you care about.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.