The executive director of Violence Prevention Avalon East says the introduction of federal legislation to add the term “femicide” to the Criminal Code is a necessary step in addressing the issue.

The Canadian Femicide Observatory says 30 women and girls have been “violently” killed in Canada so far this year – compared to 147 reported deaths in the country last year.

Olivia Lynch says recognizing femicide by name in law will help to identify needed resources in addressing the problem.

“It’s important to use these terms so we can start a concerted effort. So it’s really important that we do recognize it in legislation, and recognize it in the Criminal Code as well and start using resources in order to combat and prevent these femicide-related deaths.”