N.S. murders raise intimate partner violence alarm [Video]

Groups working to help victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia say a recent string of murders of women provides just a glimpse of the extent of intimate partner violence in the province, and they say more action is needed to protect victims.

Miia Suokonautio, executive director of the YWCA Halifax, says that while the three killings in the past month have shocked the public, gender-based violence is much more prevalent than what is reported publicly.

“Whether it’s zero (deaths reported) or one or two or three, we know based on our experience that gender-based violence is happening all the time,” Suokonautio said.

Since Oct. 18, three murder-suicides involving couples have been reported by police in Nova Scotia, and in each case a man killed his female partner before taking his own life. One was in Yarmouth, N.S., and the other two occurred in suburban Halifax.

A news release last week from Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed that …