Feminicides fix growth Canada and there are many more of them than before the Covid-19 pandemic, while a woman is killed every two daysaccording to a new report that decries the lack of a broad public policy.

According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, Last year, 184 women were killed, up 20% from 2019.

“This means that at least one woman or girl is killed every two days,” the observatory notes in its report, specifying that “men make up the vast majority of those accused.”

The observatory also notes that nearly 60% of victims are killed by their partner or former partner.

“The death of a woman should be significant in itself,” said Myrna Dawson, founder of the Observatory and professor of sociology at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

“However, the impact of these deaths on the remaining people should be recognized. This is reflected for decades in the lives of those who are trying to survive, especially children,” he added in a statement.

The report also highlights the very large number of Aboriginal women who account for 36% of femicide victims but only 5% of the Canadian population.

“You have to listen to women when they express their fear. You have to take them seriously,” Myrna Dawson said, recalling the case of a black woman who was killed in 2022 in Toronto despite complaints.

Human rights activists are also urging the country to recognize femicide in the criminal code, as is done in some countries.

“Canada lags behind other countries in how it fights men’s violence against women and girls,” lamented Myrna Dawson.

In late March, the 2020 Eastern Canada Homicide Commission urged the government to recognize that “gender-based, intimate partner or domestic violence” is an “epidemic” and therefore a major and widespread problem.

Source: APE-MPE-AFP.