Domestic Violence murders on the rise

Laws to protect women need to be enforced and improved

By: Alliyah Lewis

Domestic violence murder cases are on the rise, police said in a statement today. The recent increase in intimate partner abuse killings has raised red flags in the police department and the crisis centre. After the November 13 killing of Alfreda Stubbs by her husband, and the November 6 murder of Indiana Forbes and Anchinique Berry by her boyfriend, police are saying that something has to be done to stop this form of crime before it increase. Corporal Reno Lewis said that the police are doing things to try and combat this issue, but more could be done. Lewis said that a system, similar to United States own, needs to be put into effect. The Government needs to put domestic violence laws in

place that would allow police to arrest and charge offenders without the victim having to file a complaint. Donna Nicolls, volunteer counsellor for the Crisis Centre, said: The Government has some measures but their needs to be a lot more. She said that they need shelters for women who are in crisis, programs to help women rebuild their lives and housing for them. Nicolls went on to say that she does not need statistics to show her if these form of killings are on the increase, because if one person is killed, that is one too many. She said that if she sees one domestic violence murder in the paper, she becomes concerned and she ups her advocacy. She explains that she and the other volunteers try to do more. With the limited time we have, we make ourselves available. Nicolls feel that the country has a systemic problem that can truly be solved when society change their view of women.