Stepdad kills stepsons, injures wife on Father's Day (Vancouver, Canada)

MAHENDRA SINGH JOHAL has been charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in the deaths of his two teen-aged stepsons and the assault on his wife, who is in critical condition. As is often the case, the wife was trying to leave her abusive husband. Another case to remember when stupid people ask "well, why doesn't she just leave him?"

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Elimination+spousal+violence+goal/1730271/story.html

Elimination of spousal violence is the goal

Vancouver Sun June 25, 2009

While some people avoid venturing out at night for fear they'll be accosted by gangsters, the statistics tell us that the most dangerous places are closer to home -- in fact, one of the most dangerous places is the home.

The tragedy involving Sukhwinder Kaur Johal and her teenage sons Amarjit and Ranjit Gill provide further evidence of this sad fact. The three were attacked in their home on Father's Day, leaving the Gills dead and Johal in hospital in critical but stable condition.

Mahendra Singh Johal, Sukhwinder's husband and the boys' stepfather, has been charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with the incident. And while we must wait for the legal process to take its course before assigning responsibility for the attack, we have already experienced far too many cases of spousal and family violence and murder.

According to Statistics Canada, there were 38,000 incidents of spousal violence reported to police across Canada in 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available. This represents approximately 15 per cent of all police-reported violent incidents, and is probably only a fraction of all spousal violence incidents since many people are reluctant to report such events to police.
The statistics on spousal homicides are equally sobering. Spousal homicides represented 17 per cent of all solved homicides in Canada in 2006, with a total of 56 women and 22 men killed by their spouses that year.

Children and youth also suffer at the hands of family members, with a reported 107 children per 100,000 being physically or sexually assaulted by a parent. Again, the actual figures are likely much higher than the reported numbers. And six out of 10 child and youth homicides are committed by a member of the family, usually a parent.

These are troubling statistics, given that we tend to believe that we are safe at home, and that our family members are our protectors. But it is that very belief, combined with the belief that other people, and particularly the state, has no business meddling in family affairs, that helps sustain family violence.

Indeed, in most cases of family homicide, warning signs were present. This was apparently true in the Johal case, as friends knew that all was not well, and that Sukhwinder and her sons were planning to leave her husband, a situation that often gives rise to violence.

If we are to stem the tide, then, we must take all warning signs seriously, and we must be especially vigilant when families are separating. And fortunately, our awareness of, and education about, these factors has helped to reduce the incidence of family violence.

There has been, for example, a steady decline in spousal violence since at least 1998, when spousal incidents represented 22 per cent of all police-reported violent incidents. And B.C., along with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, now has the lowest rate in Canada, with just eight per cent of all police-reported violent incidents involving spouses.

Spousal homicides have similarly been declining for more than 30 years, with 110 such homicides in 1977, compared to 78 in 2006.

Homicides involving children and youth have also been on the decline.

This is promising news.

But the numbers are still too high, and we must guard against becoming complacent. Instead, we must continue our efforts to educate all people, and to reach out to those experiencing family difficulties.

For when it comes to family violence, the only acceptable number is zero.