A vigil was held in Victoria on Monday afternoon to remember the victims of gender-based violence.
In B.C., 16 women were killed by men in 2024.
The latest incident happened over the weekend in East Vancouver, where a 26-year-old woman was killed and her husband is now in custody.
The Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter is calling for increased welfare support for women and harsher penalties for those convicted.
The year’s vigil was held at the B.C. legislature to demand elected officials take immediate action.
“So first, women need to have more means to be able to leave abusive men,” Hilla Kerner, a spokesperson with Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter told Global News.
“Not just transition houses but funding, economic support and other things in place. But also, we do know that when women go to the police and report about the violence, their complaints are treated seriously enough to charge the men, but the men get released with conditions — conditions they cannot keep.”
Vigil participants put up a big sign saying “No more femicide” and held signs with the 16 women’s names and ages and the dates of their murders.
However, four of the signs only said “woman” as organizers were not able to find their names while reviewing police news releases and media reports.
“We want to know their names,” Kerner said, “and we want the BC Coroners Service to conduct an inquest for each case of femicide. The public needs to know what could have been done to protect them so we can demand and press for change.”
On Monday, a report from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network was released that found approximately 699 women and 236 accompanying children are turned away from domestic violence shelters across Canada each day.
Due to the high cost of living, women are struggling to leave abusive situations, but that high cost is also making it harder for shelters to keep the lights on and pay staff accordingly, the report found.
If you or someone you know is experiencing gender-based or partner violence, there is help available. A list of phone numbers and resources can be found here.
–With files from Sawyer Bogdan.