Women’s shelters call on police to name victims
EPS policy contributes to secrecy around domestic violence: council
Women’s shelters across Alberta are calling for police to name victims of domestic homicide in order to prevent domestic violence and educate the public.
In a six-page position statement released Wednesday, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, representing 45 shelters across Alberta, notes that “failing to identify victims contributes to an ongoing silencing of the issue at the individual, community and societal levels.”
In the past two years, the Edmonton Police Service has reversed a long-standing policy to release the names of homicide victims, domestic and otherwise, citing privacy legislation.
Jan Reimer, executive director of the council, said her group has requested a meeting with the new police chief, Dale McFee, to discuss the issue.
“It’s about bringing it out into the open,” said Reimer of the council’s position. “It’s about women having their stories told, and it also provides an opportunity to provide respect, and convey comfort to family members. And it may bring in other crucial information, not necessarily to solve the investigation, but to look at how all of us can play a role in preventing any violence against women.”
In the statement, the ACWS notes “the public should know who among us is being killed and who has killed them.”
The statement says naming a victim makes them, and the crime, more real for communities, and increases attention to the issue.
Reimer said that in the coming months, the ACWS will reach out to shelter directors, the police, survivors and the media to look at developing best practices when it comes to releasing names.
In a news story Feb. 2, the Edmonton Journal investigated releasing names of domestic homicide victims, noting a common concern is how naming victims will affect children left behind.
The ACWS has long said a system needs to be in place to support children whose mothers have been killed by intimate partners. (The vast majority of domestic homicides are by men.)
“It’s a flaw in the system now,” said Reimer.
“Whether or not a name is released, the child carries that stigma over a lifetime. We’ve been calling for years for specialized and ongoing support for those children and their families.”
She said talking about domestic homicide openly is a signal to children that their mother did nothing wrong.
“But being quiet about it and silencing it (as if ) it’s something shaming — I question what the impact of that is on the child.”
Another benefit of naming victims, reads the report, is that information about murders helps society better understand social issues.
“When these things are reported, you hear from women’s advocates about the supports that are out there, so (the public) knows the supports are there, and so that you’re able to educate the public to understand what the signs (of domestic violence) are,” said Reimer. “The more the public understands and knows, the better equipped we are to prevent and intervene.”
Alberta has one of the highest rates of domestic violence and domestic homicides in the country. Naming victims puts a face to the numbers.
“We don’t want women to be just another statistic,” she said.
The Journal requested an interview with McFee. In a statement, the police service said “McFee will be reviewing the organization’s practice regarding the disclosure of the identities of homicide victims. The review will explore the balance of the requirements of the public’s right to know within the requirements of privacy legislation and the rights of victims and their families with what is in the public interest.”