Report tallies 57 Canadian women killed in first four months of 2018

Fifty-seven women were killed in Canada during the first four months of 2018, according to a report published this week.

The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability compiled information from media reports between Jan. 1 and April 30. CFOJA says it considers the 57 deaths to be a minimum estimate because some deaths may not have been reported or discovered.

Thirty-three of the deaths counted in the report occurred in Ontario. One was in Saskatchewan.

The report notes Indigenous women and girls experience femicides disproportionately. It says eight of the 57 women killed were Indigenous, representing 19 per cent of the victims.

In 38 of the cases, charges have been laid. Eighteen cases allegedly involved the woman’s current or former male intimate partner.

“I think the report shows us just how urgent of a problem (domestic violence) is,” said Crystal Giesbrecht, director of research and communications for the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS), and also an expert panellist with CFOJA. The panel also includes Jo-Anne Dusel, PATHS executive director.

“The numbers show us that femicide continues to happen every second day in this country but we need research like this and we need to see the report and see the numbers to really understand the scope of femicide in our country,” Giesbrecht said.

“You might see the occasional article or report when something happens in your jurisdiction, but I think sometimes it really gets missed how pervasive of a problem it is until we see the Canada-wide numbers like this.”

The WHO says femicide is generally understood to involve the intentional murder of women because they are women, but says broader definitions include any killing of women or girls.

Giesbrecht said it’s important to look at open cases and see how they are followed up in court and what resolutions — if any — result.

“I think that making sure the general public is aware means that people who are at risk might be more likely to get a supportive response, get an intervention, something that might help to keep them safe or prevent violence from happening.”