It has been said you can never fully understand someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
That’s where Sept. 13’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser for the Hope Resource Centre comes in — it’s another perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the spectre of abuse in Westlock and the greater Alberta community.
Although the event was originally conceived as a way for men to show solidarity with women for the abuse they suffer at men’s hands, the Westlock version is being used to bring attention to all forms of abuse.
HRC manager Sylvia Yoder wants to use the walk to let people understand that abuse is not as cut and dry as they often imagine.
Instead, it can be insidious and happen without the perpetrator realizing it.
It can encompass mistreating elder members of the community. It can happen between spouses or significant others. It can be sexual in nature, or only verbal.
In short, it can be anything and everything.
And to fight it in all its forms takes a strong and concerted effort from everyone.
Alberta is reported to have some of the highest rates of abuse in the country. We could spend a long time debating why that is, and perhaps we should if we want to eradicate abuse in our province.
But while figuring out the root causes is important, there is still the matter of combating the abuse that is taking place.
There still remains a need to help those who are suffering abuse at the hands of someone else, whether that other person is a loved one, a coworker or even a complete stranger.
That’s why we have such services in this community as the Hope Resource Centre, as well as the Sparrow’s Hope shelter. Granted those are more focused on women as victims, they nonetheless fill a need.
And that’s why initiatives and events like the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes are invaluable.
Nothing can be done if the problem is not acknowledged.
Being willfully blind to a problem won’t make it go away — it will only push it to the periphery, leaving those affected by the problem bereft of the help they so sorely need.
So take part next Friday. You may learn something you never realized before.
