January was an atrocious month for violence against women in Quebec.

There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Subscribe now to receive:

There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Subscribe now to receive:

There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

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No fewer than five femicides took place in the province, the first on New Year’s Day.

It’s a chilling toll that portends an ominous year for a scourge as old as time, but one that people are increasingly aware of, that society is finally starting to name, and that authorities are redoubling efforts to address.

The tragedies of the past month underscore how much work is left to be done.

Behind these shocking statistics are names, faces, lives, mothers, daughters, sisters — human beings — who were loved and are missed.

The first to be killed was Tadjan’ah Desir on Jan. 1. Witnesses watched in horror as she was allegedly pushed from a third-floor balcony in the Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough. Police and ambulance technicians arrived to find her unconscious and gravely injured on the sidewalk. She died later in a hospital. Charged with manslaughter in her death is James Theramene, a man her grieving mother told media at the Montreal courthouse was Desir’s ex.

On Jan. 5, the children of Mary Iqiquq Tukalak in the northern Quebec........

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