Exactly.
In fact, these concerns are to some extent related, for example in the case of violence against women in a spousal or family relationship. The housing crisis exacerbates that violence, because it is extremely difficult for some women, at present, to leave the family home with children and find new accommodation.
I am not familiar with the situation everywhere in Canada, but in the case of Quebec, we are currently experiencing an unprecedented housing crisis. There are real problems with building enough social housing. The cost of housing has exploded and the housing available is no longer affordable. That is one of the determinants of mental health that is doing the most harm right now, with the rise in the cost of living.
Obviously, preventing violence against women and girls should be a priority when we are talking about women's mental health. Recently, I happened on a study of women hospitalized for psychiatric care. It stated that 90 per cent of the women had experienced violence and assaults during childhood or adolescence.
We are talking about the importance of preventing violence, but also of responding and of supporting people who have experienced trauma. We have to make sure that there are services that offer compassion and listening. We have to take individuals' history into account and not simply act on the symptoms, their expressions of anger, distress or suffering. We therefore believe that it is urgent that there be places that offer approaches that are sensitive to trauma and are readily accessible to women and girls.