Nearly 60% of the victims were killed by their partner or by an ex.
The number of feminicides is on the rise in Canada and is far higher than the numbers before the COVID-19 pandemic with a woman killed every two days, according to a new report which denounces the absence of far-reaching public policy even though in Quebec some steps were taken to modify the judicial system. Park-Extension is one of the boroughs that struggles with violence towards women because of its ethnic makeup and cultural diversity
Studies have shown that certain communities in Park-Extension are at higher risk of experiencing gender-based violence. These include women from ethnic minority backgrounds, particularly those who are new to Canada, as well as those who live in poverty. This is because these groups often face multiple barriers to accessing support services and are more vulnerable to isolation and marginalization.
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, 184 women were killed last year, which is a 20% increase from 2019.
This means that at least one woman or girl is killed every two days, notes the Observatory in its report, where it specifies that men constitute the vast majority of the accused.
Nearly 60% of the victims were killed by their companion or by a former partner, notes the Observatory.
A woman’s death should be significant in itself, said Myrna Dawson, founder of the observatory and professor of sociology at the University of Guelph.
But we must also recognize the repercussions of these deaths on the entourage of the victims, she added in a press release.
“They reverberate for decades in the lives of those trying to survive, especially children. » said Myrna Dawson, founder of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability
The report also highlights the overrepresentation of Indigenous women, who make up 36% of femicide victims and only 5% of the Canadian population. We need to listen to women when they express their fear. We must take them seriously, underlined Myrna Dawson, who recalled the case of a black woman killed in 2022 in Toronto despite the filing of complaints. Human rights defenders are also calling for the country to recognize feminicides in the Penal Code, as is the case in some countries.
Canada lags behind other countries in its response to male violence against women and girls, says Myrna Dawson. In late March, a commission investigating a 2020 killing in eastern Canada called on the government to recognize that gender-based violence between partners or in some families is an epidemic and, therefore, a preponderant problem. and generalized.
