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In this month to consider the place of violence in our times, we reflect on The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women observed November 25 in honour of the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). Unfortunately just because the United Nations has highlighted an International Day does not mean there has been a reduction of violence against women; in fact the problem has become worse.

One women is killed every 48 hours in Canada.

In 2022, 184 women were violently killed across Canada. Compared to 2019, that number shows a rise of 24%. According to a recent report by the web-based research and information centre Canadian Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA), these stats have shown a mostly upward trend. In 2020, 160 women and girls lost their lives in Canada; in 2021, there were 173.

Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA)

Why is femicide in Canada on the rise?

The report written from a neo-marxist perspective blames violence against women on “an increased reliance on men and patriarchal institutions”.  It also suggests that the increase is likely due to the pandemic, which exacerbated “an already-bleak situation… In addition to violence, these impacts include an increased burden of care related to children, the elderly and the sick, as well as occupational and economic losses leading to greater numbers living in poverty…”

António Guterres @antonioguterres

In times of crisis, women & girls face unique vulnerabilities, including increased gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. Gender equality must be central to all efforts to protect & assist people affected by emergencies.

Defying Common Sense and a Sense of Well-being

In early February of this year a court decision sent shock waves through gun control and domestic violence advocacy circles, when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas ruled that the Second Amendment allows people under protective orders for committing domestic violence to keep their guns (!?!).

The case involved Zackey Rahimi who was involved in five shootings around Arlington, and who during all these incidents was not supposed to have guns due to the restriction of a protective order issued in February 2020 after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. In an article titled “Terrifying” court ruling” lets alleged domestic abusers have a constitutional right to keep their guns,” Roxanna Asgarian reported:

“When police officers executed a search warrant in connection with Rahimi’s alleged shooting spree, they found a handgun and a rifle — which violated both state and federal law. Rahimi was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a firearm while under a domestic violence restraining order.

Rahimi argued in court that the charge violated his constitutional rights, and the courts initially disagreed. But in the wake of a landmark 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the U.S. Supreme Court established a new standard that modern gun control laws must be “consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding,” Rahimi’s case was reheard, and the 5th Circuit, in an opinion authored by Donald Trump appointee Cory T. Wilson, agreed that Rahimi’s rights were violated when law enforcement disarmed him due to the protective order.”

It defies common sense and a sense of well-being that the judge would rule in a way that will re-contribute to the reckless use of firearms in domestic violence cases. But to be fair, it is not the gun’s fault (as I am repeatedly told by gun advocates). No – but as a weapon often used in domestic violence cases, the breezy access to guns by known violent offenders is irresponsible.

There’s more to the dynamic than easy access to guns:

Re-Stitch the Fabric of Society

As I stated in Domestic Violence during the Pandemic, there is a profound need “to restitch a sense of community that sociologists have noticed disintegrating with the decline of Church life in Canada. What was once the natural activities of the local church and the fabric of the culture has been supplanted by many agencies needed to address what appears to be a growing problem – if not a growing awareness of a problem that has always existed.”

In contradiction to simply laying blame on “an increased reliance on men and patriarchal institutions,” what radical feminist ideologues fail to recognize is the need to involve men in the solution, and to re-establish in men an honour for woman and life that cannot be achieved by mere anti-male sentiments. What neo-marxists refuse to admit is that with the loss of faith has comes the loss of recognizing the mystery of our worth to the One who made us for Himself.

As I stated in an earlier post:

“The fact is, femicide begins in the coal vein heart of every human, and its first murder can start in the womb. Various conflicting feminist theories and neo-Marxist theories aside, the murder of women and girls is the suicide of society, and no amount of feminist moralizing and marches will change that.

We are not ready to admit that a society so ready and too willing to abort their female fetuses (relative to all the other abortions) is also a society too eager to euthanize their elders, and simply too inclined to use violence across the spectrum of issues.”

This is more enigma than dogma.

In this month to consider the place of violence in our times, what do you contribute to create peace?

Addendum

Since I posted, I came upon this benign, disturbing campaign “The Body Bag, For Her.”