Social work

Timely intervention to prevent the murder of women at risk

In Quebec in 2004, 22 women were assassinated by their partners or ex-partners. Some of those tragedies could have been averted if the professionals who were involved had been able to spot the precursors of fatal aggression, says Christine Drouin of the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal, the author of a master’s thesis on domestic violence at high risk of resulting in death.  “There are indicators that can help responders judge whether danger is imminent,” she says. “If the risk is high, the woman must be protected at all costs.”

When a man who has previously threatened his ex is in her presence, there is a high risk that he will take action. If he has already treated her violently and he has access to arms, the situation is extremely urgent. For shelter workers trying to help a woman in such a situation, every minute counts.

To help these professionals, who work in about 100 shelters for women who have suffered the consequences of domestic violence, Drouin and Julie Drolet (a worker at a women’s centre) have written a guide, Preventing Domestic Homicide of Women.  The intervention guide, which includes contributions from a dozen academics and professionals, is a how-to for saving the life of women who have received threats.  The high level of urgency often forces responders to react quickly, without necessarily having all the information they need to assess the situation and decide on the most appropriate form of intervention, the authors point out in the introduction. The handbook was created to help in such situations.

The authors include the Danger Assessment Scale developed by J. Campbell, an American researcher. The scale includes 15 questions, ranging from whether the frequency of physical violence has increased over the past year, to whether the man has previously uttered threats or made a suicide attempt, whether he often flies into jealous rages, and whether there are weapons in the home. The worker can use the grid to deal with different levels of danger: imminent danger, short-/medium-term danger, or persistent danger. If danger is imminent, the police should be called unless the woman refuses. In the latter two cases, the worker’s intervention may be spread over a longer period, but vigilance is necessary whenever the ex is around. For example, a woman who is appearing in court should be accompanied by a security guard and request a secure waiting room. 

“When the media cover crimes of passion, they often show astonished neighbours saying that the killer was a calm fellow, with no history of violence,” notes Drouin, a research officer at the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la violence familiale et la violence faite aux femmes (research centre on family violence and violence against women, known as CRI-VIFF). “That gives the impression that domestic violence appears all of a sudden. That’s wrong – most of the time, murder is preceded by multiple acts of aggression, the woman has called groups that help victims of violence, and the police have intervened before…”

If the ex-partner’s behaviours and attitudes are key factors in assessing the risk, other factors must also be taken into consideration. “There are critical periods. The first year after a separation is certainly the most risky time. The first few months are considered a crucial period.” Experts advise recently separated women to change their routines – for example, to stop doing the grocery shopping on Thursday. Workers need to find different ways of getting the message through, because women who have been the victims of violence are often unaware of the risks they run. They do understand the cyclical nature of their ex-partner’s moods, with periods of kindness, even sweetness, alternating with aggressive rages. Along with threats and harassment, these are serious indicators. “And we also should consider that the ex-partner is at risk of committing suicide. If he has nothing more to lose, he’s more likely to take action,” Drouin points out.