Hi everyone,
My inquiry questions this semester is: What problems do Canadian women face when using the Battered Woman Syndrome Defence in courts?
This defence, commonly known as the BWS defence, is a type of legal defence that is used by women who kill their abusers or/and batterers.
I’ve gained interest in the topic last semester in my Law 12 class. The teacher mentioned that although this defence was developed around 30 years ago, it is still problematic in Canadian Courts. I want to research about this topic to know exactly to know, if any, the problems with this defence. I am also curious to see how the knowledge about Canadian law that I learned in my class can be used in my research.
Sofia B
Hi Sofia,
This is a cool topic! I do understand that we live in a world with a system that has traditionally favoured men. Although now we are taking steps towards providing justice for women, the BWS defence is still an area that deserves much more attention. I think that often after women self-defenced, people may think “why couldn’t she just leave the situation or the abusive relationship.” But often, this is not how things work. This is really all I know about this topic, but I think your questions is very intriguing and can be dug in from many perspectives. Good luck and I’m excited to learn more from you!
Here’s a link that might help with your research:
http://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/crime/domestic-violence/battered-woman-syndrome-legal-defense/