FEMICIDE

November 2022

You may be familiar with the term “Femicide”.  Femicide is a hate crime broadly defined as the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female. It is the most extreme result on a long continuum of violence against women and girls… and one that’s entirely preventable and yet disturbingly too common.

Here at Women’s Resources, femicide is something we fear for the women we serve – we are always on the alert for it, especially for women who are attempting the brave step of removing themselves and their children from a violent home where they may fear for their lives every day.

It is always shocking when we see headlines speaking of women murdered by their partners or male family members, but when it happens in our own community, it can feel even more devastating and too close to home.  Heeley Rae Balanga died from blunt force trauma (suspected to be from a baseball bat) and then was burned in the house where she lived in Little Britain by her partner whom she was considering leaving at the time. He was convicted of first-degree murder and arson. Then three years later an additional conviction of Disregard for Human Life was handed down and he received life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.  Although the family felt some relief with this verdict, we can only imagine in our worst nightmares what they’ve gone through to get to this small amount of comfort.   Femicide is not something we just hear about happening in other places; it happens here and it could happen to someone close to you.

“In Canada, a woman is killed by her present or former partner an average of every six days.” –Canadian Women’s Foundation

There were 58 femicides in 2020-2021 in Ontario. This year, August alone saw six confirmed incidents.  And experts know there are many more that are not included in statistics.

One or more of these women could have been your mother, sister, cousin, friend, neighbour, grandmother, community member or school friend.  Every victim of femicide was important to someone – family, friends, community.

The fact that these tragedies still happen, can be attributed to acceptance, tolerance and justification of violence and discrimination against women and girls.  Very few realize how widespread the problem is.  On average, three (3.37) femicides happen in Ontario monthly. The majority of these violent atrocities are committed by a current or former male partner or family member.  Less often femicide is caused by the actions of a stranger.  When we speak about women who use our programs, sometimes we use the term “survivor”, but the harsh reality is that not every abused woman survives.

We need to be especially aware of the risks facing Indigenous, Black and 2SLGBTQ+ women, girls and gender-diverse individuals; they experience much higher rates of gender-based violence and femicide, an unacceptable fact.  With an aging population, more senior women are coming to us for help as well.

Providing an emergency shelter and a 24-hour crisis line is only part of what we do.  Helping to keep women at risk safe involves working with them on safety planning.   We know that women are much more likely to be murdered by their partner after they threaten to leave or have left already. With more technology like social media, tracking apps and remote devices, it’s harder for anyone to stay anonymous or hidden and therefore safe from perpetrators of violence. Learning practical safety measures lowers the risk of femicide for these vulnerable women.

We educate for prevention, connect women and children with other support services in the community, provide counselling to help them work through the trauma and anguish while working to improve their lives and the future they see for themselves and their children.

Children who witness violence are at risk for continuing the cycle of violence in their own lives when they grow up.  We have programs to support children, youth and teens with healthy conflict resolution skills, identifying what healthy relationships look like, working on self-esteem, managing emotions and making safe choices.

Locally, we are aware of several femicides where just a few close friends or family members have known of the ongoing abuse that was taking place.  It’s common for the victims to express disbelief that their intimate partner would actually murder them, even after their friends and family voiced concerns.  More shocking than ever is when it happens out of the blue where there was no apparent abuse and no warning signs.

Although we long for the day when femicide no longer happens in our communities, it’s encouraging that people like you, care enough to put personal and professional resources towards supporting women and their children who find themselves in a near impossible situation and may live in fear every day, through no fault of their own.  For a woman to leave an abusive home, often with children, takes a great deal of strength and courage. Their resiliency is inspiring.

Many of our programs and services are dependent on community support to ensure they continue.  Please, consider making a donation today.  Your generosity will help women and their children leave behind a life of fear and violence for one that looks forward to a future they can believe in.

cfox@womensresources.ca or 705-324-7649 Ext 223

Carolyn Fox, Fund Development Director