The podcast She is your neighbour- a brief overview of femicide Dr Myrna Dawson was produced by Lillie Proksch and hosted by Jenna Mayne in 2023. This podcast episode features Dr Myrna Dawson to discuss the definition of femicide, groups who are disproportionately represented in the crime of femicide and intimate partner violence, and the effects the pandemic had.
Dr Myrna Dawson discusses the definition of femicide as the killing of women or girls because of their sex or gender. She emphasizes that the most extreme form of gender based violence is femicide, and it is a human rights violation that is rooted in misogynist attitudes. Recently there has been a use of a new term "feminicide" -- which refers to the inactions of governments in facilitating the legal consequences and prevention of femicide in their state.
Femicide comes from patriarchal structures and social norms that exist in society, where women are seen as objects or possessions. Sexual femicide comes from men objectifying women, which is rooted in misogynistic attitudes in society. Intimate partner violence and femicide comes from women being seen as possessions, and this is clear when many intimate partner violence cases come from jealousy and the threat of a women leaving the relationship.
Dawson also discusses disproportionate groups and femicide. Intersectionality is very important, where Indigenous women are up to 4 or 5 times more likely to experience femicide in Canada. There are many data quality issues as there is little research done on other races and femicide in Canada.
Another disproportionately affected group is older women. In 2019 (the year the COVID-19 pandemic started) they were the largest victim group in Canada. This is an issue as we have an aging population, and there are many factors causing older women to become victims such as economic instability, being left to rely on their families, etc.
Another factor is rurality. It was found that 45% of women living in rural areas are at an increased risk to being victims to femicide. This is connected to lack of resources and the use of firearms in these killings.
Lastly, the podcast discusses how the pandemic had major impacts on femicide globally. Numbers of femicide increased and continue to happen at high rates ever since 2019. This is due to families living in close proximity, financial stressors, and lack of resources for women to protect themselves. It is emphasized that the pandemic should not undermine the fact the this violence existed before and will continue to exist after the pandemic.
