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Profs Create Domestic Homicide Research Repository

Initiative aims to find risk factors that will stop “preventable” deaths

The University of Guelph’s Dr. Myrna Dawson has recently launched a new website for the prevention of domestic homicides in conjunction with Dr. Peter Jaffe, a professor at Western University.

The Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative (CDHPI) aims to create a centralized location for domestic homicide review and prevention. It will have a specific Canadian focus and will be of interest to academics and community professionals, as well as the general public.

Both Dawson and Jaffe are a part of the first Canadian Domestic Violence Death Review Committee.

The committee, which was established in 2002, serves to investigate the causes and circumstances under which acts of domestic violence have taken place. Based on their findings, these reviews serve as critical information for the creation of policy and service delivery for the prevention of domestic violence.

The CDHPI will compile these reviews – as well as research, educational material and learning opportunities – in one location, but with a focus on domestic homicide specifically, as this comprises 43 per cent of family related homicides.

The CDHPI is an example of the potential connections that academic research can have within the community.

There are certain risk factors that are identifiable after reviewing cases, which suggest that domestic homicides are preventable and predictable, according a University of Guelph press release. This particular crime is generally premeditated and often results out of a history of violence.

“These crimes can no longer be explained away as spontaneous crimes of passion but are now more accurately recognized as acts that can often be prevented,” said Dawson.

Both Jaffe and Dawson feel that the website is critical for creating a unified national dialogue on the topic of domestic homicide and can help to provide a more collaborative environment for discussion and information sharing.

Community service organizations and policy analysts might then use this information to influence or guide their services. Furthermore, individual women might refer to these risk factors for their own personal safety.

A new mobile phone app, for example, is being developed for just that purpose. According to CBC’s The Current, the “One Love Danger Assessment App” will allow women to run through a checklist to identify whether their relationship might pose a threat.

The app was developed through the One Love Foundation out of John Hopkins University School of Nursing. The app allows users to determine the difference between the highs and lows of a typical relationship and what may actually be a dangerous situation. Users can also receive 24-hour support through a live chat function.

The app is both anonymous and free for smart phones and other devices.

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