North Vancouver woman Dominga Santos was one of 10 names honoured on Tuesday, in a vigil that paid respects to women killed in domestic violence incidents this year.
In downtown Vancouver, 10 women stood defiant in the rain, holding up signs bearing the names of women in British Columbia whose male partners, ex-partners, or other close relatives have been charged with their deaths.
A banner, emblazoned with No More Femicide, was held in front.
“People were really moved,” said Hilla Kerner, of the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter.
“A few women came up to us to tell us that they have experienced male violence and they escaped, but this could have been them. We’ve also had very, very moving responses since.”
Kerner hopes the vigil will bring about change within the criminal justice system: That men charged with domestic violence will find it more difficult to be granted bail, and those who are released are monitored more efficiently.
“In the cases that we researched, we found that in half the cases, the women actually did complain to the police, and the men were arrested and charged and released,” she said.
“We have a really, really urgent demand from the criminal justice system, from the prosecution services, from judges, that if the system cannot adequately monitor or supervise men, they should not be let out.”
Kerner is also calling on the chief coroner of British Columbia to publish a report every time a woman has been murdered by her current or ex partner.
“We want to know if the criminal justice system was involved. We want to know if there was a family court proceeding. We want to know if there is an immigration issue, or if the woman was particularly vulnerable.”
Kerner said there should be more transparency regarding the victims too, including further details on their names and the role they played in their community. That way, she said, “their deaths can be mourned properly.”
Santos, a 68-year-old North Vancouver woman, was stabbed and killed on Dec. 13 at her Lower Lonsdale home. Her nephew, Anthony Santos Del Rosario, was charged with her murder.
The incident marked the latest in an “accumulation of senseless, unacceptable deaths,” said Kerner.
“The numbers are mounting up, and it’s just unbearable.”
Anyone who feels unsafe, or knows of a woman who is unsafe, is urged to contact the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter’s crisis line at 604-872-8212.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
