Calgary charity honours victim of domestic violence

As the five-year anniversary of the killing of Nadia El-Dib approaches, work continues in her name to help others recognize toxic relationships and, if they are in one, how to escape safely.

The 21-year-old was killed by her former boyfriend in 2018 after she broke up with him the year before.

Police said she was stabbed 40 times before her throat was slit, and she was shot on March 25.

RCMP later gunned down the killer in a shootout as he fled a few days after the incident. He was wanted Canada-wide on murder charges.

Her sister, Rasha El-Dib, shares her sibling’s story with young students as part of Nadia’s Hope Foundation, which she started in 2019 to advance domestic violence awareness.

“I feel like it’s gonna have an impact to raise awareness and bring education about what domestic abuse and violence can look like,” El-Dib told CityNews.

“And especially at such a young age because you don’t really learn about healthy relationships or what they’re supposed to look like. I believe that these presentations are really going to help in educating kids, and then that way they can take this information with them into adulthood.”

El-Dib’s family is also working with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to create a scholarship in her name for a student to complete the education she never got to finish.

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Family and friends will mark the March 25 anniversary this year by celebrating Nadia’s life and with a fundraiser at Twisted Element.

Because Twisted Element has offered the venue free of charge, all proceeds will go to support the charity. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.com

El-Dib’s death was one of 13 domestic-related homicides in Alberta the year she was killed.

Calgary police say they respond to about 20,000 domestic conflict and domestic violence-related calls yearly.

While the number of calls has been increasing since 2019, there has been a decrease in those where violence has occurred. Officers say cases that don’t involve violence can include anything from a verbal altercation or requests for police to be present during an interaction with an intimate partner or family member.

Police attribute the drop in numbers to more Calgarians recognizing a potentially dangerous domestic situation and reaching out for help before it escalates to violence.

In January, there were 277 domestic violence incidents reported and 1,451 cases which did not include violence. Last year, four Calgarians lost their lives in domestic-related incidents.