B.C.’s system of protection orders is failing women, report finds [Video]

Inconsistent policework is leaving too many B.C. women vulnerable as they attempt to flee from intimate-partner violence, according to a new report highlighting a range of issues plaguing the province’s system of protection orders and peace bonds.

The report from Battered Women’s Support Services, entitled “Justice or ‘Just’ a Piece of Paper?” was partly prompted by the case of Stephanie Forster, a Coquitlam woman who was killed by her ex-husband two years ago this month.

Forster had obtained a court-issued protection order – what’s sometimes colloquially referred to as a “restraining order” – but struggled to convince police to enforce it, according to BWSS.

“She reported breaches several times to the Coquitlam RCMP, they did not follow through,” said Angela Marie MacDougall, BWSS executive director. “She was ultimately killed by her ex, who then killed himself.”

Included in the organization’s report is a survey of 41 domestic violence survivors, including …