A vigil was held Thursday in Vancouver for five women who were recently killed in B.C., allegedly by someone close to them, including a 51-year-old woman in Richmond.
Between June 30 and July 18, women were killed in Richmond, Kelowna, Vancouver, Surrey and Abbotsford. In each case, the suspect is a current or ex-partner.
While intimate partner violence is “always on the radar,” these five deaths in such a short period inspired Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter to hold the vigil by the art gallery in downtown Vancouver, explained the agency’s anti-violence worker Dahye Son.
“It’s something that really stood out for this time period,” said Son.
The vigil was held to bring awareness about intimate partner violence and what Son called “a criminal justice system (that) fails to protect women.”
They also wanted to honour and remember the women who were killed, she added.
Furthermore, they want police to handle domestic disputes better so that women are better protected.
Son said she’s heard anecdotes of women calling the police and an abuser being told to "take a walk around the block."
These are cases that can’t just be dismissed as something that occurs between two people behind closed doors, she added.
While RCMP said the Richmond woman who was killed had no previous interaction with police, Son said there are many reasons women don’t call police.
It could be because their immigration status is precarious or there’s a language barrier, or perhaps they’ve had a bad experience with police in the past, Son explained.
The 51-year-old Richmond woman died on July 18 in the Capstan area. The next day, the BC Prosecution Service approved one count of second-degree murder against 33-year-old George Dragnea of Richmond.
Council challenged to create gender-based violence task force
The recent deaths of these five women prompted Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of the Battered Women’s Support Society, to ask Richmond city council to start a task force to raise awareness about gender-based violence and services available for victims in Richmond.
She told city council on Monday that local governments have a "really important role" in addressing this issue that's often considered a private matter.
MacDougall said Battered Women’s Support Services received about 2,500 requests for services from Richmond last year.
“Gender-based violence is not a private tragedy, it is…a public safety failure and it’s costing women their lives,” she said.
MacDougall said national and provincial governments are being called on to tackle gender-based violence, and she thinks there’s a role for local governments as well, such as striking a task force.
“I’m hoping that Richmond will take this crisis seriously and refuse to treat gender-based violence as inevitable and for other governments to take up,” MacDougall said.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie told MacDougall that the city already has a lot of resources, such as Chimo and Nova House.
“From your remarks, I would have thought Richmond is doing nothing,” he told her at Monday’s meeting.
MacDougall, however, responded, saying Richmond’s services are “excellent and necessary,” but many people don’t know they exist.
The task force could bring public awareness to the services available for people who are facing intimate partner violence.
In the end, Richmond city council referred the matter to its staff, asking them to review it and provide options on how to move forward.
If you are in a mental health or other crisis, reach out to the Chimo crisis line 24/7 at 604-279-7070.
Women and children in intimate partner crisis can call the Nova House crisis line 24/7 at 604-270-4911.
More information about Chimo Community Services is available on their website.
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