In just a few days of the new year, news of femicide and domestic violence are making headlines.
A young woman in Granby was cowardly murdered by her partner, who fled after the incident and was fortunately apprehended. Another young girl was massacred by her partner, leaving her swollen and unrecognizable because the violence of the blows was so severe.
What is most striking in these two stories is the age of the attackers: late twenties for one, early thirties for the other. We could, and above all we would like to believe that the new generation is sensitive to the issue of domestic violence. One would think that she had been sensitized, made aware of the tragic consequences of violence in a family or romantic context.
Whose fault is it?
How can we justify young people physically attacking their spouse in 2022-2024? Is it society that has escaped them? Was it their parents who failed in their role? Can masculinists on social networks indirectly contribute to taking action? Is it still a mental health problem?
So many questions and so few answers. One thing is certain, it is always heartbreaking to start counting women killed by their partners at the start of the year. As if the figures and stories from previous years weren’t enough to scandalize us.
Let’s identify them
We will also have to ask questions about persistent repeat offenders of domestic violence. They are often known by the justice system to be violent men. But what control does this system have over them? None, I fear.
Should we start thinking about a registry of violent offenders in a domestic context? The question is valid. We have the same register for sexual predators, why not for attackers and murderers of women?