Governments must fund women’s supports to prevent domestic homicide: advocate
VANCOUVER — Anti-violence advocates say physically abused women need more than police assistance to leave harmful relationships and they’re calling on governments to spend more on community supports.
The issue is coming to light once again after murder charges were announced against a father accused of killing his wife in a house fire east of Vancouver.
Domestic violence is an epidemic, said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services in Vancouver.
The organization’s work suggests women who access community services are more likely to successfully leave abusive relationships, MacDougall said, but a lack of funding has limited what they can do.