Breaking The Silence on Domestic Violence

“It’s a heavy and difficult subject, but one that needs to be discussed,” she insists. We cannot defeat what we cannot face.”

These were the powerful words of Dr. Zita Somakoko, Founder of Breaking the Silence on Domestic Violence (Canada), regarding the general and systemic response to Domestic Violence in Manitoba.   

Zita’s passion for her social work stems from her experience with an abusive partner and the effects of that abuse on her children. However, it was a news report she saw in October 2015 about a Winnipeg woman who was killed by her partner, that finally pushed her to speak up for victims of domestic abuse.

Unable to sleep and wondering how this tragedy could have happened in her community, Zita began researching domestic violence in Manitoba and concluded that ignorance was a big part of the problem. Within a month, she had organized a forum (now an organization) called Breaking the Silence on Domestic Violence (BTSDV). It was in this forum that Zita first spoke publicly about her experience of domestic violence.

Today, she owns her own business, which provides human resource consulting services as well as educational resources and training for victims of domestic violence . She is also the founder and first president of the Black-Manitobans Chamber of Commerce and the second woman in Canada to found a chamber of commerce. 

You can read more about Dr. Zita’s work on Domestic Violence advocacy in Winnipeg in this Immigration Matters article and on the organizations website, www.btsdv.ca. 

Join us in #breakingthesilenceondomesticviolence