Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Gender-Based Violence Against Women Must Be Treated as an Epidemic, Says Official

The issue of gender-based violence against women needs to be addressed as a widespread epidemic rather than individual tragedies, according to officials at Huronia Transition Homes. This organization provides essential services and support to women who have survived violence across Simcoe County.

Reflecting on the increasing severity of the issue, Haily MacDonald, the acting executive director of Huronia Transition Homes, stated, “It’s really hard because, in the 10 years that I have worked with the organization, this year’s femicide list was the largest we’ve seen. We always talk about these things as individual tragedies, but then we miss the mark that this is, in fact, a systemic issue.”

MacDonald highlighted the province’s release of 68 recommendations in June 2022 following the inquiry into a triple femicide that occurred in Renfrew County in 2015. These recommendations, which included declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, have yet to be implemented by the province.

What further exacerbates the issue, MacDonald added, is that it took seven years for an inquest to occur and recommendations to be made following the murders of three women by Basil Borustki, who was subsequently sentenced to life without parole for the killings. Meanwhile, more women continue to be subjected to intimate partner violence.

MacDonald referenced the October 2023 murders in Sault Ste. Marie as another tragic example, where a woman and three children were killed, and another woman was left in critical condition. She questioned, “Are we going to wait another seven years to have another inquest with the same recommendations? That’s the difficulty of all of these tragedies being viewed in isolation.”

The murder of Ashley Schwalm and Kinga Kristen, two Collingwood residents, further emphasizes that gender-based violence is not an issue exclusive to other areas. MacDonald emphasized, “We know this is really relevant to Simcoe County right now. We have people on the list who are in our communities. The shelters in Simcoe County are full. Our services are full. The worst-case scenario when you have experienced intimate partner violence is femicide. This is happening here.”

The Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses reported that 74% of the femicides in 2023 were committed by an intimate partner, family member, or men known to the victims.

To commemorate the lives lost to gender-based violence, Huronia Transition Homes organizes a vigil every year on December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. During the 2023 vigil, attendees participated in an activity called “These Hands Do No Harm,” where they wrote on a cut-out hand an action they would take to end gender-based violence. These cut-outs were then taped to a banner adorned with painted handprints of the staff and women and children in the programs.

MacDonald explained, “We wanted to try to honor the lives that were lost and use the opportunity as a call to action for the community on how it can support us in reducing these numbers and ending gender-based violence.” She further emphasized that their work encompassed advocacy, tangible support services, counseling, shelter programming, and specialized anti-human trafficking efforts. Additionally, they strive to organize events, workshops, and programs across the county to prevent the need for their services and reduce violence in the community.

Simcoe County is home to several women’s shelters located in Midland, Barrie, Collingwood, Alliston, and Orillia.

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