“We often don’t hear about women who face family violence until they’re dead.” – Farrah Khan

Tragically in the past year, six women in Saskatchewan have been murdered, and all are believed to have been killed by an intimate partner. Violence Against Women agencies in Saskatchewan have rallied together to call for a formal review of domestic homicides.

Although Ontario does have a Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC), murders committed by family members are not currently included. In an interview on CBC Radio: The Current, Farrah Khan, Barbra Schlifer Clinic Counsellor & Advocate, explains why the current DVDRC urgently needs to expand its mandate to include murders of young women killed by their families: “We need to expand the definition of violence so that when young women come forward…for support from violence against women services, their needs are met…we need a mandate across the board.”

Farrah poses the question, “what happens when a young woman is experiencing extreme violence from their family or indicators that could lead up to murder, yet we don’t have the robust pieces in place to support them?”

Listen to the CBC Audio