‘I am here to make a lot of noise’: Sharing stories to end femicide

A podcast, produced in the Region of Waterloo, is shedding light on the topic of femicide.

The term refers to homicides targeting women and girls simply becauseof their gender.

The ‘She is Your Neighbour’ podcast, hosted by Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, discusses the warning signs so that hopefully women will feel empowered to leave a dangerous situation.

They recently spoke to St. Catharines resident Fallon Farinacci about her painful past in Manitoba.

“In 1992, a family friend, a community member and someone my father had grown up with started to grow increasingly obsessed with my mother,” she shared with CTV News. “He started to stalk her and at one point he threatened her life and his own as well.”

Farinacci said her mother tried to protect herself but felt the justice system failed her.

“He had the .22 caliber rifle that my mother told the RCMP about not once, but twice.”

Farinacci was eight-years-old at the time and was unaware of the danger her family was in until the night before her mother was set to appear in court.

“My mother’s stalker entered our home just after midnight, and it was then about 2:30 in the morning that I woke up to him being in our house and holding my mother, myself and my younger siblings hostage.”

Farinacci said the man killed her father first.

Her older brother managed to escape and called 911 from a neighbour’s house at 2:30 a.m.

Four hours later, the stalker killed her mother and then himself.

Farinacci said the police still hadn’t arrived on scene at that time.

“Unfortunately, we still had to wait in the home until after 8 a.m. for the RCMP to show up.”

SPEAKING UP FOR CHANGE

Jenna Mayne works at Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and hosts the ‘She is Your Neighbour’ podcast.

“Last year there were 52 women killed in 52 weeks in Ontario alone and I think that number is really shocking, but surprisingly, I feel like a lot of people aren’t talking about it,” said Mayne.

In Waterloo region, four of the six homicides in 2022 involved female victims. Male suspects were charged in all four cases.

“Unless we understand this a little bit better and start talking about some of the red flags and warning signs we’re not going to be able to make any changes,” added Mayne.

Farinacciwas also a speaker Wednesday at an International Women’s Day event at Conestoga College where she talked about the importance of sharing her story.

“They could very well be in a situation and unaware they're in a dangerous situation,” Farinacci told CTV News. “So by hearing others’voices and stories, maybe they will leave or they can create change themselves and really start to make that shift for themselves.”

Farinacci, who is also an advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMWIG), hopes her experience helps other women like her mom.

“I was given the spirit name ‘White Thunder Woman’ and the elder who gifted me that name said that I am here to make a lot of noise,” she explained. “And that is what I am going to do.”