Anne Kingston: There has yet to be a MeToo equivalent for the largely private crime of family violence
We will never know the horrific final abuse Dr. Elana Fric endured from her husband of 12 years, Dr. Mohammed Shamji. The 40-year-old family physician and mother of three was beaten and choked to death in December 2016, days after she served Shamji with divorce papers, a harrowing reminder that the most dangerous time for a victim of intimate-partner violence is when they leave a relationship or just after. Her body was found by Toronto’s Humber River, stuffed into a suitcase.
This year has offered a tragic parade of reminders. In February, 11-year-old Riya Rajkumar of Brampton, Ont. was killed by her father, Roopesh Rajkumar. In March, Trent Butt of Carbonear, Nfld. was convicted of first-degree murder of his five-year-old daughter, Quinn, found dead after a house fire in 2016; the Crown argued his motive was vengeance against his estranged wife.
Class bias was evident as well in the surprise expressed that educated professionals can abuse and be abused: “Doctor’s death shows no one is immune from domestic violence” one headline read. Yet history reveals that intimate-partner violence, which is about exerting control and power, exists in every socio-economic strata. High-profile cases date back decades—Hedda Nussbaum in the 1980s, Nicole Brown Simpson in the ‘90s, and, more recently, Rihanna, Nigella Lawson and Reeva Steenkamp.
Reluctance to acknowledge affluent abuse also stems from a refusal to see successful people as vulnerable to marital power dynamics, a point noted in Toronto Life: “[Fric’s] family and friends couldn’t understand why she had gone back to him. She was smart, educated, financially independent and surrounded by a devoted support network. She didn’t need him.” Again, societal bias. We don’t associate risk or vulnerability with privileged populations.
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