NEVR hosts their 13th annual conference: Programs, Prevention, Practices
Dr. Balbir Gurm founded the non-profit, which aims to eliminate violence within relationships
NEVR's 13th annual conference aims to address and eliminate relationship violence in the community through four workshops featuring keynote speeches by anti-violence workers and researchers. (Submitted)
Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR), a campaign that works toward eliminating relationship violence in the community, is hosting their 13th annual conference, running a total of four workshops with the last taking place on June 8.
This year’s conference focuses on the themes of programs, prevention, and practices, working to address and eliminate violence in relationships within local communities. Keynote speakers include relationship violence survivors, anti-violence workers, researchers, and educators.
Dr. Balbir Gurm, nursing instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, founded the organization in 2011 after doing a research project about the domestic violence abuse system in B.C. Before that, she was a committee member for the Surrey Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (SCADA).
“Community service providers felt they needed somebody to advocate for services and for policy changes. They wanted someone to speak up and not be worried about repercussions,” Gurm says.
“It’s one thing to have education, but it is another to actually advocate for change and make a difference.”
The workshops are hosted entirely online so international speakers can attend and speak at the conference.
Gurm wants to destigmatize the idea that physical and emotional violence can only occur in romantic relationships.
“The way we define relationship violence is violence between two or more people that know each other at any age, space, and gender,” Gurm says.
Abuse can occur in platonic relationships, such as within friendships, workplaces, gangs, and even against children and seniors, she says.
Domestic abuse and dating violence are a priority for NEVR. Dating violence can take on many different forms, but having a controlling partner is a key factor to look out for when experiencing abuse.
“If the person is trying to keep control of where you are, trying to isolate you from your friends, or [make you] feel guilty for not wanting to do something, those would be some of the signs to look for,” she says.
One speaker at the conference was Rosy Datt, a practicing psychotherapist who believes in the importance of mindfulness.
“Meditation can bring about a lot of chatter and a lot of patterns of behaviour that are unwanted. There is a big difference between standing up for yourself and being submissive,” Datt says.
“The basic needs in a human being [are] to be seen and to be heard in order to be accepted. It is allowing [them] to see that they have this resilience and brilliance within them,” she says.
Datt spoke about how mindfulness can help people reclaim and get on track with who they want to be and how they want to be perceived in the world. Then, through regaining this confidence, many victims can find their voice and leave abusive relationships.
However, many victims struggle to gain the confidence to leave their abusive relationships.
“Being abused impacts you mentally, physically, and economically,” Gurm says.
“12 years later, we have been able to make a scratch on the issue,” Gurm says.
“We can try to improve services the best we can for those that need it. But, we need a societal shift, where abuse is not accepted. Until that happens, the system is going to overflow and survivors will feel re-victimized.”
To learn more about NEVR and the work Gurm has done, visit https://www.kpu.ca/nevr.
