Domestic Violence: What Really Happens Behind Closed Doors

Spouse killers usually record-free
A Statistics Canada study also suggests victims of abuse are still too afraid to come forward.

By RANDY RICHMOND, SUN MEDIA
The London Free Press

Almost three quarters of people accused of spousal homicide or attempted homicide had no police record of previous abuse, a Statistics Canada study concludes.

That suggests either the violence is coming out of the blue, or victims -- mostly women -- are still too afraid to come forward.

"Out of the blue? No," Megan Walker, head of the London Abused Women's Centre, said yesterday. Despite some improvements in how police and courts handle abuse, many victims are still reluctant to get help from the justice system, she said. "I don't think it's changing."

The Statistics Canada study, released yesterday, examined 11 years of police data. Only 26 per cent of suspected abusers had been accused of earlier spousal violence and only four per cent were considered chronic abusers, with four or more previous incidents reported to police, the study reported. The report says 82 per cent of killers were men and men were far more likely to have a previous record of abuse.

In nine out of 10 cases where women were accused of killing or trying to kill a husband, the attack was the first recorded incident of abuse.

The study also found in cases where there was previous abuse, the episodes become more frequent in the period just preceding the major attack.

Abused women give several reasons why they avoid the criminal justice system, Walker said.
"Women are fearful of the consequences, of retribution, from the abuser."
Some women are also afraid police will not believe them.
Nor are they confident the courts will treat their case properly or properly punish the abuser, Walker said.
"Some women who are being abused -- and this is where it gets complex -- genuinely love the abuser."

Most abusive relationships did not begin that way, but start with love, Walker said.

Many women get help through the health care, social service or education systems, she said.
And many women tell no one.

"They minimize the danger," Walker said. "It's a survival instinct. They can't possibly imagine it.
"How could you live with someone thinking they're going to kill you?"