Domestic violence advocates sound alarm after woman killed by estranged partner outside Calgary school
Posted Jan 17, 2024 12:06 pm.
Last Updated Jan 17, 2024 12:32 pm.
Police continue to piece together what led to a woman being killed outside a Catholic elementary school in Calgary’s southwest Tuesday morning.
The suspect, who had a no-contact order and was facing domestic violence charges, was found dead nearby.
Kim Ruse is with the organization FearIsNotLove, a charity meant to offer programs for people experiencing domestic violence and abuse.
She hopes this terrible incident will lead to more awareness about domestic violence.
“It’s a very prevalent issue and I think the important thing to think about is that it takes a lot for people to get the courage to pick up a phone and call a help line,” she explained. “There are a lot of people that up to that point, they just aren’t reaching out, they are trying to understand the issue in private, there might be shame.
“So, there’s this whole group of people we know are experiencing this issue and they don’t feel safe to reach out or they can’t reach out.”
Court documents show the suspect and the victim were going through a divorce.
“We can tell you that the offender in this incident has been previously charged and had been released by the courts on a no-contact order,” Duty Inspector Scott Neilson of the Calgary Police Service said in an update Tuesday afternoon. “I can also tell you that there were active warrants on the system for the individual.”
CityNews has learned the couple shared three children.
Read more: Calgary police investigate homicide outside SW school, suspect found dead in ‘domestic incident’
“These people had done everything right — they’d engaged the police, we’d engaged them with services, support, court support, safety planning, and the whole nine-yards,” Neilson said. “And to have something like this in front of a school is obviously, just horrible.”
Domestic violence calls see a huge jump this time of year, but the issue is growing overall.
“Oftentimes, we underestimate the risk that we are at. You often hear when situations like this come up people say, ‘It doesn’t happen in our neighbourhood’ or ‘We’re quite surprised’ or ‘No one else is at risk.’ I would actually say people are at risk, they just may not realize it,” Ruse said. “So, if it is bringing up alarm bells for people, or you’re worried about someone that you are close with — friend, family, colleague, neighbour — there is a lot of help in the community.”
The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) says a recent report showed that from April 2022 to March 2023, there were more than 59,000 calls for support to 39 different organizations around the province — a 10-year high.
“Well, if you think about it, in Canada, in Alberta, one in two women will experience sexual or domestic violence,” Ruse explained. “So, if you think about that for a second, and think of the women you know in your life, and just draw a line down the middle. It is very prevalent in Canada, Alberta has very high rates.”
The ACWS says shelters are the safest place for survivors fleeing violence.
However, domestic violence shelters are facing increasing pressure.
Watch: Two people dead after tragedy outside Calgary elementary school
The organization says in 2022-23, 8,483 individuals stayed in a domestic violence shelter, an increase of 19 per cent from the year before. This includes 4,852 women and seniors, 3,561 children, 53 men, and 17 who identified as gender-diverse.
More than 11,200 requests for admission into a shelter by women and seniors had to be denied because the shelter ran out of space, or didn’t have a space large enough to accomodate the family looking seeking admission, according to the ACWS.
Survivors experience an increased risk of deadly violence when they try to leave, or successfully leave, abusive relationships, the organization adds.
Fifty-one per cent of survivors surveyed in domestic violence shelters believe their partner is capable of killing them, and 42 per cent reported their partner has tried to strangle them — something the AWCS says is one of the most significant predictors of lethal violence in the future.
“It is essential we believe survivors when they tell us they are in danger, and that we have the resources available to help them safely leave an abuser,” Sheila Graham, community engagement and public relations co-oridnator with ACWS, said in a statement.
To speak to someone at a shelter near you, call the toll free 24/7 ACWS line at 1-866-331-3933 or FearIsNotLove’s helpline at 403-234-7233 (SAFE)
More information on domestic violence can be found at acws.ca or fearisnotlove.ca
