More Than a “Domestic Dispute”L Naming Femicide

This season of RAGE explores violence against women and girls in Canada — not as isolated incidents, but as patterns shaped by power, control, and systems that too often fail to intervene early.We’re not just talking about what happens at the end of the story. We’re looking at everything that leads there — the language we use, the warning signs we miss, and the myths that stop us from recognizing harm clearly.Across Canada, a woman or girl is killed roughly every two days. Many of these deaths are preventable. But prevention starts with recognition.In this first episode, we explore the meaning of the word femicide and why naming gender-related killings matters in Canada. We examine how terms like “domestic dispute,” “family tragedy,” and “crime of passion” can minimize violence and shift focus away from patterns of coercive control, misogyny, entitlement, and escalating abuse.The episode explores the realities of femicide in Canada, including the warning signs that are often present long before lethal violence occurs and the disproportionate impact on Indigenous women and girls. It also challenges the common belief that these deaths “came out of nowhere,” examining how many cases are preceded by identifiable patterns of control and escalation that are too often overlooked or dismissed.Because language doesn’t just describe violence — it shapes whether we recognize it at all.If we don’t name the pattern, we can’t interrupt the pattern. And if we can’t interrupt it, we can’t prevent it.In the next episode, we examine how violence escalates — and why the warning signs are often there long before the moment of crisis.