WomanACT is heartbroken and outraged by the recent femicides of Navneet Kaur and Thi Nguyen in Toronto. We extend our deepest condolences to their families, loved ones, and communities as they grieve these unimaginable losses.
We must call these deaths what they are: Femicide.
Femicide is the most extreme form of men’s violence against women and girls. It reflects patterns of gender-based violence, coercive control, and the belief that women can be punished for asserting their autonomy. In Canada, a woman or girl is killed violently every two days, most often by a man. These are not isolated incidents—they are part of a preventable and ongoing epidemic of intimate-partner violence and gender-based violence.
The circumstances reported in these cases are deeply troubling. Both women were allegedly killed by men who were already known to them. Public reporting indicates that both accused had prior histories of violence against the victims, and both had been released under court-ordered conditions following previous allegations of intimate partner violence or harassment. These reports describe women who sought protection, disclosed violence, and engaged with systems that were intended to keep them safe.
They deserved better.
Survivors deserve better.
Every woman deserves better, including the many who never disclose, because reaching out has never been safe, affordable, or available to them.
When women disclose abuse, report violence, obtain protection orders, or engage with the justice system, they should not have to wonder whether those interventions will be enough to keep them alive. Every missed opportunity for coordinated risk assessment, information sharing, accountability, and survivor-centred safety planning can have irreversible consequences.
These deaths remind us that responding to intimate partner violence requires more than individual interventions after violence has escalated. It requires systems that recognize patterns of coercive control, respond proportionately to escalating risk, and work together to prevent lethal violence before it occurs.
At WomanACT, we continue to advocate for coordinated, evidence-informed responses that place survivor safety at the centre. This includes strengthening cross-sector collaboration between the violence against women sector, police, health care, child welfare, housing, and the justice system; improving early identification of high-risk cases; ensuring meaningful accountability for repeat offenders; investing in survivor-centred services; and implementing coordinated risk assessment and case management practices that can prevent future deaths.
No woman should be killed by a man’s violence. Not one. Not the women who reported it, and not the women who never could.
And when a woman does reach out, the response should be strong enough to keep her alive.
No family should have to wonder whether more could have been done.
As our communities mourn, we will not forget the countless survivors who continue to navigate systems that are too often fragmented, under-resourced, and unable to respond to the realities of escalating violence. We stand in solidarity with survivors, advocates, frontline workers, and the families forever changed by femicide.
We owe these women more than our grief.
We owe them action.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, please call 911 or your local emergency services immediately. Your safety is the top priority.
Assaulted Women’s Helpline:
24/7 helpline and set hours for online chat for safety planning, support, and help seeking shelters. Has access to interpretation.
Call: 1-888-715-0536 or visit www.awhl.org
Fem’aid:
French language 24/7 helpline offering support for domestic violence in Ontario.
Call: 1-877-336-2433 or visit www.femaide.ca
Talk4Healing:
24/7 culturally safe telephone helpline, text or chat for Indigenous women in Ontario
Call: 1-888-200-9997 or visit www.talk4healing.com
The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/ Multicultural Women Against Rape (TRRC/MWAR):
24/7 helpline open to all survivors of rape and sexual assault
Call: 416-597-8808 or visit www.trccmwar.ca
Victim Services Toronto:
24/7 helpline for crisis response services for victims of crime in Toronto.
Call: 416-808-7066 or visit www.victimservicestoronto.com
The 519:
Offers services and programs for persons identifying as 2SLGBTQ+.
Call: 416-392-6874 or visit www.the519.org
Media Contact
Aakanksha Mathur (she/her)
Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications
WomanACT
416-944-9242 Ext. 231
amathur@womanact.ca
womanact.ca
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