It’s often challenging for many people to understand why a survivor choose to stay in the relationship or would even consider returning to their abusive partner after taking action to escape and leave.

While this may not seem logical to others, survivors navigate complex situations that often involve considerations for their safety as well as the safety of others.

There are several additional barriers that can contribute to survivors returning to or staying in an abusive relationship. Here are 5 completely understandable reasons…

Read Jade’s Story, a true story of a survivor and her two sons’ journey through post-separation abuse.  

Navigating these barriers requires careful consideration and often involves difficult decisions about safety, security, and personal well-being. So, the next time you’re tempted to say, “Why doesn’t she just leave already?” consider the points we just discussed.

Just as survivors may have reasons for returning to their abusive partners, the partners who are abusive will exploit the same vulnerable areas that survivors experience as tactics for post-separation abuse.

If you or someone you know needs support, BWSS is here. You can create a safety plan or speak with an advocate confidentially by calling our crisis line at 1-855-687-1868. Together, we can explore your options and help you reclaim safety.

During this Violence Against Women Prevention Week, as we #WearJustice #BuildSafety, we will share more resources on post-separation abuse – why a survivor might return, common tactics of post-separation abuse and provide strategies for overcoming them. Stay tuned. 

Post-separation abuse is the continuation of power and control tactics by an abusive partner after the relationship has ended. It’s a dangerous and often misunderstood phase in the cycle of abuse. While many believe that leaving ends the violence, the reality for countless survivors is that separation can trigger an escalation. Abusive partners may weaponize systems, children, finances, or threats in a relentless effort to maintain control. Post-separation abuse is not about love or reconciliation — it’s about dominance and retaliation.  The road to safety can look differently and for many survivors of domestic, intimate partner and/or sexualized violence, escaping by leaving the relationship unfortunately doesn’t necessarily mean they are automatically safe from future violence an ex-partner who has been abusive. 

Read Jade’s Story, a true story of a survivor and her two sons’ journey through post-separation abuse.  

When abusive partners lose power in their relationship due to separation, they may escalate their abusive tactics to regain control. Post-separation abuse can manifest in various forms of coercive control, including harassment, physical abuse, financial abuse, intimidation, and lethal violence. 

Abusive partners may also use different behaviours such as persuading to come back, threatening the access to your children, restricting your access to funds or threatening physical harm on themselves or your loved ones. 

The abusive partner is threatened by the separation and may experience it as a declaration by his partner that she is capable of surviving without him. Not only that but that she is the best judge of what is good for her, and especially that her needs shouldn’t always take the back seat to his. 

The abusive partner is likely very afraid that his partner may discover how good it feels to live without put downs and other abuse. She may start to think of her own thoughts without him and start believing in herself as an independent and strong. Importantly, she might discover how much better she is without him. 

Any survivor who’s made a step towards safety may feel guilty enough return to their abusive partner to avoid the possible negative outcomes.

If you or someone you know needs support, BWSS is here. You can create a safety plan or speak with an advocate confidentially by calling our crisis line at 1-855-687-1868. Together, we can explore your options and help you reclaim safety.

She walked away from the abuse. He didn’t stop. Walk in her shoes.

As Canada marks Violence Against Women Prevention Week (April 20–26), Fashion Revolution Week (April 22–27), and Mother Earth Day (April 22), BWSS launches Wear Justice, Build Safety—a campaign that exposes the deep ties between gender-based violence, the fashion industry, and environmental destruction.

In partnership with our social enterprise, My Sister’s Closet, this campaign uses fashion to make visible what’s often hidden: post-separation abuse. It’s happening in plain sight. It’s happening to someone in your neighbourhood.

The shoes featured in these posters belong to women who made the hardest decision of their lives—to leave an abusive partner. But leaving didn’t end the violence. It only changed its form.

He didn’t stop.

The harassment continued. The control deepened. The abuse followed her through courtrooms, parenting schedules, social media, and city streets.

This is post-separation abuse—one of the most dangerous and least recognized forms of gender-based violence. It is systemic. It is relentless. And it is far too common.

Just as the Earth is treated as expendable, so too are women’s lives treated as negotiable within legal and social systems that fail to protect them. On Mother Earth Day, we are reminded that the fight for women’s safety and environmental justice is one and the same. Both require us to value life, restore balance, and refuse violence in all its forms.

Every pair of shoes in this campaign tells a story. Every pair demands change.

She walked away. He didn’t stop.

Walk in her shoes. Wear justice. Build safety.

As Canada marks Violence Against Women Prevention Week (April 20–April 26) and Fashion Revolution Week (April 22–April 27), a bold new campaign is calling attention to the threads that tie together the global fashion industry and the epidemic of gender-based violence. “Wear Justice, Build Safety”, launching April 21, is a two-week fundraising and public awareness campaign that highlights how systems of violence—at home and in the garment industry—are interconnected. The campaign is led by Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), with the goal of raising $75,000 to support frontline anti-violence services, prevention education, and economic empowerment.

Fashion Revolution is a global non-profit advocating for a clean, safe, fair, transparent, and accountable fashion industry. With a Global Network of 80 country teams and counting, they mobilize citizens, brands, and policymakers through research, education, and advocacy.

Fashion Revolution Week is their annual campaign bringing together the world’s largest fashion activism movement to showcase activist projects worldwide, challenge how fashion is made and consumed, and inspire collective action.

BWSS and My Sister’s Closet (MSC) are taking part in Fashion Revolution Week to spotlight the deep connections between fashion, justice, safety and the environment. The fashion industry too often thrives on the exploitation of women and the planet, reflecting the same systems that enable gender-based violence.

As we also mark Violence Against Women Prevention Week, we’re reminded that prevention must include economic, environmental, and social justice.

Through BWSS current campaign, “Wear Justice, Build Safety”, we’re calling for a fashion future rooted in dignity, sustainability, and collective action.

Here are some tips by Fashion Revolution that we will be following for the week.

As Canada marks Violence Against Women Prevention Week (April 20–April 26) and Fashion Revolution Week (April 22–April 27), a bold new campaign is calling attention to the threads that tie together the global fashion industry and the epidemic of gender-based violence. “Wear Justice, Build Safety”, launching April 21, is a two-week fundraising and public awareness campaign that highlights how systems of violence—at home and in the garment industry—are interconnected. The campaign is led by Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), with the goal of raising $75,000 to support frontline anti-violence services, prevention education, and economic empowerment.

When we say that survivors of domestic violence don’t just leave — they escape — this is what we mean.  

Not long ago, Jade, a mother of two boys, whose names have all been changed to protect their identity, came to us after living through years of abuse at the hands of her partner, the father of the children. The abuse didn’t just target her, it extended to her children as well. It was her eldest son, Luca, who was just 12 years old, who bravely stepped in to protect his mother and called the police. His courageous call set everything in motion.  

Together with her sons, Luca and Elio, Jade fled to a transition house – they were then referred to Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS). With that interim safety, this is where their healing journey began.  

Through counselling and support groups at BWSS, Jade began to name the abuse. She realized, in hindsight, that it was the years of violence, intimidation, coercion, and fear that kept her trapped in the relationship. Her boys began to open up, too, disclosing the heartbreaking truths of what their father had done to them. A brutal lived experience that no child should ever have to carry.  

Jade felt so much shame and guilt for not leaving sooner… but also a fierce determination to protect her children and break the cycle of violence for good.  

But escaping abuse doesn’t mean it ends. Her former partner utilized post-separation abuse tactics and began stalking and harassing her and the children, including showing up unannounced outside their home and at the children’s school and activities. This was menacing and designed to intimidate and instill fear in the hearts of her and the boys.  

A vital next step involved a BWSS legal advocate accompanying Jade and her children to court to secure a family law protection order. However, despite the order of protection, fear remained constant as Jade’s former partner continued to be an intimidating presence in their lives.  

He would often drive by their home and show up at the children’s school activities unannounced. On one occasion, while Luca was playing volleyball, he looked up to see his father watching him from a distance—the anger on his father’s face gave him nightmares. This ongoing surveillance and intimidation instilled deep fear in both Jade and her children because they were still not safe.  

Despite the stalking, Jade kept going. A BWSS support worker encouraged her to keep a journal and document all the sightings and encounters she had with her former partner. Her children kept journals, too. Together, they documented every threat, every encounter, and every moment of fear.  

Eventually, with support from BWSS, Jade was granted permission from the court to relocate with her children to another province, a difficult decision that meant leaving her community, her city, and everything familiar behind. But it also meant safety, freedom, and a chance to start again.  

And she did.  

Today, Jade is a school teacher. Her boys are thriving. Just recently, she sent a heartfelt message to the BWSS team, full of gratitude for the support she received from BWSS. She still remembers every piece of guidance, every word of encouragement, and every moment of compassion.  

This is what your support makes possible.  

During this Violence Against Women Prevention Week, as we #WearJustice #BuildSafety, we’re shedding light on post-separation abuse—and how leaving isn’t the end of the violence for many women. In fact, it’s often when abuse escalates. We stand beside survivors like Jade, who continue to experience harassment, legal bullying, financial control, and threats long after leaving an abusive partner. 

Will you make a gift today?  

$1000 provides a complete cycle of programming for one survivor who is dealing with post-separation abuse. Your donation, whether it’s $50, $250, or $1000, helps us provide survivors with safety planning, legal advocacy, trauma counselling, and resources needed, not just to leave the relationship but to escape and rebuild lives. 

As Canada marks Violence Against Women Prevention Week (April 20–April 26) and Fashion Revolution Week (April 22–April 27), a bold new campaign is calling attention to the threads that tie together the global fashion industry and the epidemic of gender-based violence.

“Wear Justice, Build Safety”, launching April 21, is a two-week fundraising and public awareness campaign that highlights how systems of violence—at home and in the garment industry—are interconnected. The campaign is led by Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), with the goal of raising $75,000 to support frontline anti-violence services, prevention education, and economic empowerment.

Vancouver, B.C. — As Canada marks Violence Against Women Prevention Week (April 20–April 26) and Fashion Revolution Week (April 22–April 27), a bold new campaign is calling attention to the threads that tie together the global fashion industry and the epidemic of gender-based violence.

“Wear Justice, Build Safety”, launching April 21, is a two-week fundraising and public awareness campaign that highlights how systems of violence—at home and in the garment industry—are interconnected. The campaign is led by Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), with the goal of raising $75,000 to support frontline anti-violence services, prevention education, and economic empowerment.

“Whether it’s a garment worker overseas or a woman rebuilding her life after leaving abuse, the common thread is economic control. In the face of rising costs, trade wars, and job insecurity, survivors are being pushed to the edge.” Said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director at Battered Women’s Support Services. “But we also know that women have always found ways to resist—through creativity, care, and community. This is a moment to honour that resilience and build systems where safety isn’t a privilege, but a right.”

The inclusive two-week events will feature:

• Fashion Revolution Thrift Crawl – BWSS Social Enterprise, My Sister’s Closet will be a part of the 2025 Fashion Revolution Week Thrift Crawl from Sunday, April 27 to Sunday, May 4, hosted by @fash_rev and @remakeourworld! Mark your calendars, stay tuned for more info, and get ready to thrift!
• A special podcast mini-series hosted on And Still We Rise, exploring the intersections from thread to shelter – Exposing the Hidden Links Between Fashion and Gender-Based Violence
• A week of powerful social media storytelling, highlighting survivor voices and ethical fashion under hashtags #WearJustice and #BuildSafety.
• Opportunities for the public to donate, attend events, and learn how fashion choices can be a force for change.

Fashion Revolution Week, created in response to the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, is a global movement demanding transparency and justice in fashion supply chains. Violence Against Women Prevention Week brings awareness to the realities of domestic and intimate partner violence, which continue to impact over half of women and gender-diverse people in Canada.

“The women who sew our clothes and the women who seek safety from violence are often the same—poor or working-class. They are surviving overlapping systems of extraction, from unpaid care work to underpaid labour to intimate partner violence,” says Lucy Hagos, Manager My Sister’s Closet. “This isn’t about charity—it’s about economic justice, dignity, and the power of collective care to create real safety.”

The funds raised will go directly to supporting women and gender-diverse people who are navigating violence, poverty, and complex trauma, and to programming that builds long-term safety and economic autonomy—including employment skills, education, and training that support survivors in rebuilding their lives.

Media and community members are encouraged to get involved by attending events, sharing stories, and making donations through.