ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the evolution of a long-standing research endeavour in Canada that culminated in the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA), a national initiative launched. Femicide is most often perpetrated in Canada, and globally, by current or former male partners – referred to as intimate femicide. Moving to a broader focus on how femicides are treated in law compared to homicides, the analysis focused on all killings in Ontario to examine gender and punishment. The sexual violence and excessive violence – referred to as 'overkill' and common in femicides – explain what appears to be more punitive responses to femicides. The goals of the feminist-led CFOJA are multi-faceted but focus specifically on documenting social and state responses to femicide in Canada to bring visible and national attention to the phenomenon of femicide. Focusing on responses to femicide after it occurs, and recognising how broader societal contexts facilitate femicide, the CFOJA is undertaking several initial activities.