Canadian experts urge specialized training for professionals to identify and address strangulation as a hidden predictor of femicide, which significantly raises the risk of partner-related homicide.
Experts in Canada warn that strangulation is a "hidden" predictor of femicide, and advocate for specialized training for police officers, judges, lawyers, and healthcare practitioners to recognize and address the issue. Strangulation, often a hidden form of abuse that leaves no visible injuries, significantly raises the risk of a victim being killed by their partner. Canada's Criminal Code was updated in 2019 to include strangulation in the definition of assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm, but experts argue that increased training is necessary to ensure the offence is properly recognized and managed. A 2008 study found that someone in an abusive partnership is more than seven times more likely to be killed by their partner if they've been strangled by that partner in the past.