London, Ont. mayor calls on city council to declare femicide an epidemic – London | 24CA News
Mayor Josh Morgan is asking his fellow councillors to make London, Ont., the newest metropolis within the province to declare intimate associate violence (IPV) and femicide an epidemic.
In a letter to fellow councillors, Morgan outlines quite a few causes for his request, together with the truth that in Canada, on common, a lady is killed each six days by her intimate associate.
“This is something that absolutely and positively is an epidemic in our country and it’s something we have to draw attention,” Morgan mentioned to Global News.
Along with the epidemic declaration, Morgan’s letter calls on metropolis council to acknowledge the problem of violence towards girls and ladies in London, decide to partaking with group companions, and request the provincial and federal governments declare femicide an epidemic.
“This not only something that is important for our community, but also our responsibility as a municipal government,” added Morgan, who mentioned he spoke with native teams and advocates concerning the difficulty forward of writing the letter.
Megan Walker, vice-chair of the London Police Services Board and former govt director of the London Abused Women’s Centre, says she is proud of the mayor’s letter.
“I think London’s proposed declaration is very powerful as it actually names femicide as the epidemic along with intimate partner violence, and that’s very important because we know that women are often killed because they are women and girls,” mentioned Walker.
The mayor’s letter comes on the heels of the province refusing to declare femicide and IPV an epidemic.
The jury at a coroner’s inquest into the 2015 deaths of Nathalie Warmerdam, Carol Culleton and Anastasia Kuzyk in Renfrew County made the epidemic suggestion simply over one yr in the past, together with 85 others geared toward stopping related tragedies.
The province mentioned whereas it takes IPV critically, it could not declare it an epidemic as a result of it’s “not an infectious or communicable disease.” Walker says the province’s choice is misguided, as she believes femicide is a well being and security difficulty.
“When we see the abuse, assault and sexual assault against women and girls in our community, we know that there is a tremendous cost associated with that,” mentioned Walker.
“If we can create safety for women and girls, then by extension, we are creating safe opportunities for all of society.”
Morgan agrees with the sentiment that every act of femicide impacts a whole group.
“It draws tremendous resources into support agencies, into the health care field, into people being away from their jobs,” mentioned Morgan.
According to Morgan’s letter, London police responded to over 6,500 IPV calls final yr. Over 1,500 of these calls resulted in legal costs.
“The numbers are staggering,” mentioned Morgan. “People shouldn’t feel afraid or feel unsafe around their partner.”
Walker says the police board helps together with and defining femicide within the legal code as violence and acts of killing towards girls. She says one of many advantages of getting it included can be knowledge on violent acts might be higher tracked and assist make police and social companies higher ready.
“Frankly, I’m really tired of always counting how many women and girls have been killed. The time for counting dead bodies has come and gone; we need to be taking some concreate action,” mentioned Walker.
The longtime advocate for girls’s points notes London would turn out to be one of many many communities within the province to make the declaration.
“This movement is only going to continue to grow, and I think at the end of the day, (Premier Doug Ford) is going to see that women and male allies are not going to tolerate femicide and abuse and assaults against women any longer.”
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