Non-profit La Maison Grise's Terrifying Halloween Decorations Depict Scenes of Domestic Violence

Decorating for Halloween has become so much more than placing a Jack-o’-lantern on the doorstep. Each year, more and more households go all-out to make their homes as spooky and frightening as possible for the occasion. But in many households across Canada, there’s something far more frightening going on behind closed doors that passerby rarely see - acts of domestic violence. 

Acts of family and intimate partner violence in Canada have been on the rise for the last five years. According to a recent report by Statistics Canada, over 127,000 acts of police-reported domestic violence took place within the country in 2021, with women and girls representing 69% of the victims. These statistics are compounded by the fact that generally only one in five victims of domestic violence actually report the acts to the police. In many cases, these acts of violence turned deadly. 154 of the 788 acts of homicide reported in Canada in 2021 were committed by a family member.

In Quebec specifically, one quarter of all crimes against individuals are linked to domestic violence. And like trends seen throughout the rest of Canada, women bear the disproportionate brunt of this abuse - they’re the victims nearly 78% of the time. According to the organization SOS Violence Conjugale, 12 women and six children within the province of Quebec lost their lives to acts of domestic violence since the beginning of 2022.

To shed light on these violent acts taking place behind closed doors, and to drive donations to their multitude of support services, La Maison Grise has created truly terrifying Halloween decorations that depict these violent scenes. Called ‘Fear Windows’, the campaign sees homes throughout Montreal outfitted with vignettes of domestic violence, with a simple message driving the viewer’s attention to the organisation, where they can learn more about La Maison Grise and make donations.

According to Statistics Canada, acts of domestic violence go unreported nearly 80% of the time. Which means it’s very difficult for the public to understand the extent of these violent acts, the frequency with which they occur, and the strong need for services to support these victims. Quite often, these violent acts only become public knowledge when things turn deadly, at which point it’s tragically too late to provide help.

“This is why we must double our efforts to meet the sorely growing needs of victims. Unfortunately, many of the femicides could have been avoided,” says Nathalie Lamarche, general manager of La Maison Grise. “By juxtaposing these scenes of domestic violence with terrifying Halloween decorations, we hope to draw public attention to the real horrors that go unmentioned. Donations will help provide support to more women, children and families affected by domestic violence. It is also imperative that men who commit violent acts have access to adequate resources before doing something irreparable.” Lamarche concludes.