This holiday season, “remembering the women who are no longer here”

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On average , a woman is killed every two days in Canada.

• Sophie Chevance ( View profile)Sophie Chevance

Speech synthesis, based on artificial intelligence, makes it possible to generate spoken text from written text.

In Vancouver, women gathered on Wednesday to pay tribute to the victims of femicide in 2023. The demonstrators hope that the voices of these women, often killed by their spouses or ex-spouses, will not be forgotten.

On the central square of the Museum of Fine Arts in the city center, 14 women stand under the illuminated Christmas garlands, in complete silence for several minutes, before the curious gazes and the sound of footsteps of passers-by.

Each holds in her hands a poster bearing the name of one of the women victims of femicide in British Columbia in 2023.

We want to remember these women who are no longer here, says Hilla Kerner, spokesperson for the shelter for women victims of rape, the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter (VRRWS).

During this holiday season, when families come together, it is important that the world realizes that there are women who no longer have the chance to be among us, because their lives have been violently taken.

A quote from Hilla Kerner, spokesperson, Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter

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The refuge, which reports 14 victims of femicide this year based on data from the Gendarmerie Royal of Canada and the media, wants statistics on women murdered because of their sex or gender to be better compiled.

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During the 2022 report, Indigenous women constituted 36% of victims of femicide, even though they represent only 5% of the Canadian population (photo from December 27, 2023, in Vancouver).

The organization also wants governments to do more to sustainably convict those responsible for these crimes and break the cycle violence. Social programs for financial assistance and long-term housing are part of the solution, according to Hilla Kerner.

In terms of the Criminal Code, Canada, unlike other countries, does not yet recognize femicides. Unfortunately, we do not notice any decline in violence against women. We must do more, calls on Hilla Kerner.

When asked about the issue, the BC government was unable to provide the data relating to the number of women killed in the province in 2023 and redirects to federal data.

According to the&#x27 ;Canadian Femicide Observatory (sic) for Justice and Accountability, 184 women were killed in Canada in 2022, an increasing trend. Nearly 60% of victims were killed by their companions or former partners, according to the organization.

In 2023, the observatory already reports more than 165 victims of femicide, including at least 18 in British Columbia.

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