Women and girls are dying at the hands of their partners at alarming rates. We know the causes, so why can’t we stop it?

Statistics Canada data shows that between 2011 and 2021, police reported 1,125 gender-related homicides of women and girls, of which two-thirds were perpetrated by an intimate partner, 28 per cent were family members, and five per cent were a friend or acquaintance.

While the rate of gender-related homicide of women and girls has generally declined since 2001, there was a 14 per cent increase between 2020 and 2021, marking the highest rate recorded since 2017.

The conditions that precipitate intimate partner violence (IPV) are all too common: escalating patterns of assault and intimidation; a lack of understanding of the heightened risks a woman faces the moment she decides to leave; and pervasive barriers to housing.

Experts suggest this could be better addressed with widespread adoption of the label “femicide” in police reporting, and for it to be legally defined in the Criminal Code, as a means to amplify awareness, collect more accurate data to track cases and craft stronger laws to combat violence against women and girls. Link to full article here.