Domestic violence made worse by silence, coroners service finds

A new report by the B.C. Coroners Service has found an average 12 victims were killed each year by their partners in cases of domestic violence from 2010 to 2015.

The panel behind the report found few of the victims told anyone what was happening in their lives, and friends, family and even professionals often didn't know how to help.

"Every one of these deaths is a marker that there are thousands more women living with this level of violence," Tracy Porteous, executive director of the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia told On The Coast guest host Michelle Eliot.

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"Domestic violence homicide is the most preventable of all homicides in this country, so obviously there's more to be done."

Porteous says domestic violence is complicated by other factors: love, faith, family, housing to name a few, and these can make it challenging for victims to step forward.

"[Victims] feel a sense of humiliation and some may feel a sense of shame this is going on," she said. "Many women don't tell anybody because they don't want people to force them to leave or put pressure on them to find another place to live or have to leave the community."

Porteous backs up the coroners service's calls for more funding for domestic violence education so people close to victims can understand signs of risk when they see them.

She also wants to see more availability and training for community services to provide professional help for victims.

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast

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