‘The name is femicide’: Why some want term added to Canada’s Criminal Code

Without naming it, advocates accidental it is casual for radical to unreal the execution of women and girls due to the fact that of their sex is not happening.

While the caller slaying of an Ottawa mother successful a parkland is bringing much consciousness to the word femicide — mostly described arsenic the sidesplitting of a pistillate due to the fact that of their sex — advocates accidental it’s an epidemic that is not caller to our country.

“It’s important to sanction it, and the sanction is femicide,” said Megan Walker, the erstwhile caput of the London Abused Women’s Centre and a longtime advocator for ending unit against women.

“Naming it does a batch of things: It makes it visible, it gives america the accidental to make information astir what’s happening, it’s palatable for parents and makes them amended recognize that what happened was not their fault.”

Between the years of 2018 and 2022, the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability estimates that astatine slightest 862 women and girls person been the victims of femicide successful Canada, with that fig expanding by 24 per cent implicit that time.

Walker said the contented has reached “dire” circumstances successful this country.

“We are seeing a pistillate killed successful this state each different day. We’re seeing important acts of violence, torture, rape and trauma committed against women and girls,” she said.

“We’re seeing women and girls crossed this state who are being trafficked into the commercialized enactment industry. All of these factors specifically interaction women.”

In 2022, the London Police Services Board, which Walker is besides a committee member, sent a missive to the national authorities successful a propulsion to person the word added to the Criminal Code. She reiterated that propulsion to a parliamentary committee earlier this week.

While respective countries person identified femicide arsenic a transgression distinctly antithetic from homicide, Canada has inactive not.

“It’s critical. We can’t unrecorded successful a assemblage wherever women, who comprise much than fractional of the colonisation successful this country, are disposable,” Walker said.

“It’s harder to beryllium preventable erstwhile we don’t person a sanction for it, and it’s not legislated.”

The Ottawa Police Service is wide considered the archetypal constabulary unit successful the state to commencement utilizing the word successful its policing.

After consultation betwixt their departments and assemblage groups, the unit felt it was indispensable to usage the word contempt it not being successful the Criminal Code, Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson said.

“It draws attraction to the issue,” she said.

“Femicide is … often driven by stereotypes, sex roles, favoritism towards women and girls oregon unequal powerfulness relationships betwixt women and men.”

While Ferguson said it’s important to person a broader speech astir femicide, what should not beryllium mislaid successful the speech are the women and girls who person died, and the suffering their families person to spell done aft they are gone.

Since deciding to usage the term, Ottawa constabulary person already labelled 2 cases arsenic femicide — astir precocious with the Oct. 24 slaying of Brkti Berhe, a parent of 4 — and the sidesplitting of Jennifer Zabarylo successful August.

“It’s truly important that arsenic portion of the transgression justness strategy and generally, we’re the archetypal portion of it. We acceptable the stage, if you will, for what it is,” Ferguson said.

“It’s making lawmakers and determination makers alert that this is happening, and that it’s happening successful important numbers.”

She notes that portion not each motives are known erstwhile constabulary commencement investigating cases, successful situations involving intimate spouse violence, it does not instrumentality overmuch to place what has happened.

Since starting to usage the term, Ottawa constabulary said respective different forces person reached retired to them for guidance connected however to bash the same.

Like Walker, Ferguson feels that having femicide added to the Criminal Code would assistance code the issue.

“In 22 countries astir the world, it has go a complaint successful the Criminal Code and their laws, and I deliberation that’s yet wherever I’d similar to spot it get to,” Ferguson said.

“When we see the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, erstwhile we see the Montreal massacre, Canada has a past and not a large past of however we dainty women and girls successful society, truthful I deliberation we request to marque immoderate advancement and we request to radiance immoderate airy connected the situation.”

Those successful request of assistance escaping unit tin telephone the Assaulted Women’s Helpline: 1-866-863-0511 successful Ontario. Resources for assistance successful different provinces tin beryllium found here.