Photo (left to right): Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam and Carol Culleton
A coroner’s inquest is hearing that it is possible to change some people who engage in abusive behaviour.
Dr. Katreena Scott, a psychologist and professor at Western University, says there is clear evidence from multiple sources and across several countries that a significant portion of men who engage in abusive behaviour at one point do not continue once this behaviour has been identified.
66-year-old Carol Culleton, 48-year-old Nathalie Warmerdam and 36-year-old Anastasia Kuzyk were killed on their properties in the Ottawa Valley in 2015 by Basil Borutski, who had a known history
of violence against women.
A women’s rights advocate has told an eastern Ontario coroner’s inquest there is a lack of bystander intervention training for Canadians. Julie Lalonde says there needs to be robust funding to trainpeople on how to detect intimate partner violence and stalking.
The executive director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, an organization that offers support to victims of abuse, has also testified Deepa Mattoo is told the inquest about the importance of effective information shared in cases of intimate partner violence.
The inquest is exploring the circumstances of the women’s deaths and considering ways to better protect victims of intimate partner.
(The Canadian Press)