International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

The article Identifying femicide using the United Nations statistical framework: Exploring the feasibility of sex/gender-related motives and indicators to inform prevention by Myrna Dawson, Haleakala Angus and Angelika Zecha (Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence, University of Guelph, Canada) published in International Sociology was shorlisted for the Annual SAGE International Sociology Best Paper Prize’s second edition (2024 edition) and is available in Open Access. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Myrna Dawson

Haleakala Angus

Angelika Zecha

Why are you working on this topic? Could you share an experience, a fact or a person who made you get engage on that research?

M. Dawson: During the last year of my BA, I read what was for me the most influential book of my undergraduate degree, Femicide: The Politics of Woman Killing (1992), an edited collection by Jill Radford and the late Diana Russell. At the same time, I became aware of a report on intimate femicide in Ontario, Canada, that had recently been released, based on a study spearheaded by a group of eight women working in shelters for abused women. On the cusp of entering graduate school, I volunteered to work on this project, which was entering its second stage of data collection and, through this research, I was also able to begin my examination of the role of intimacy in determining access to justice for femicide victims. My ongoing research on femicide continues to document these killings, using these data to research and write on various questions and topics related to femicide. I recently rolled out this project nationally, supporting the work of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability which I established in 2017. I see data as a defence against femicide and all forms of male violence against women and girls. Without good data, we cannot develop effective preventions.

H. Angus: I am working on the topic of femicide because I am deeply committed to research that contributes to preventing and ultimately ending gender-based violence. My experience working directly with survivors has reinforced the urgent need for this work, as I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of violence on individuals, families, and communities. Femicide represents the most extreme form of gender-based violence, yet significant gaps remain in how it is documented and understood. My interest in this research stems from its potential to inform prevention efforts by improving data collection and analysis, particularly for marginalized and racialized communities whose experiences are often overlooked.

A. Zecha: I am working on the topic of femicide because of its profound impact and far-reaching consequences on women, victims’ families, and society as a whole. I’m motivated by the opportunity to leverage data to identify at-risk populations, shape policy decisions, and ultimately reduce the frequency of femicides in Canada.

Do you have any video, recorded conference, or online material that you would like us to share with others?

M. Dawson, H. Angus & A. Zecha: Many materials, publications, social media campaigns and further projects are located at our websites at:

The Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence: https://www.violenceresearch.ca/

The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability:
English: https://femicideincanada.ca/
French: https://femicideincanada.ca/fr/

What would you emphasize about your academic trajectory? Can you highlight which have been your academic positions, universities, awards, departments and research centers?

M. Dawson: I am a Full Professor of Sociology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, University of Guelph. I am the Founder and Director of the Centre for the Study of Social & Legal Responses to Violence (CSSLRV; www.violenceresearch.ca) and the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice & Accountability (www.femicideincanada.ca). I also Co-Founded and Co-Directed the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with Vulnerable Populations (www.cdhpi.ca). I am a former Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Criminal Justice (2008-2018), Past President of the Canadian Sociological Association (2018-2019) and current Co-President of Working Group 11 – Violence & Society, International Sociological Association. I serve as Senior Advisor and Project Lead for the Femicide Watch Platform (www.femicide-watch.org), which is a joint project of the United Nations Studies Association (UNSA) Global Network and the UNSA Vienna’s Femicide Team. I recently co-edited The Routledge International Handbook of Femicide and Feminicide (Routledge, 2023) with more than 120 contributors from over 30 countries.

H. Angus: I completed my undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and Public Policy at the University of Guelph, followed by a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice policy at the University of Guelph. Currently, I am pursuing a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. I am currently a research assistant at both the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence (CSSLRV) and the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA), collaborating with Dr. Myrna Dawson on various projects related to femicide. I am also the also the Project Content Leader for the Femicide Watch Platform (FWP), a joint project with the United Nations Studies Association (UNSA) that shares knowledge and brings awareness to the global issue of femicide.

A. Zecha: I am the Research Coordinator for the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence and a member of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability’s research team. I completed my Honours Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy program at the University of Guelph. Following this, I completed my Master of Public Health at the University of Waterloo, with a particular focus on quantitative methods.