Tragedy struck in Montreal as a 45-year-old woman, Leïla Ben Salem, was fatally injured during a video call with a colleague on Tuesday afternoon. The victim, a member of the Union of Taxation Employees’ Montreal Local 10008, was found unconscious with serious injuries in her apartment on René-Lévesque Boulevard.
Montreal police responded to a 911 call for a wellness check and discovered Ben Salem unresponsive, pronouncing her dead at the scene. The Union of Taxation Employees expressed shock and sorrow over her death, offering condolences to her loved ones and colleagues, while condemning the violence that claimed her life.
SOS violence conjugale highlighted the incident as a femicide, linking it to a recent women’s rights march in Montreal. The organization urged support for women experiencing violence and called on political parties to address the issue with concrete measures.
Océane Corbin, a researcher from UQAM specializing in online misogyny, emphasized the urgent need for prioritizing women’s safety to prevent such tragic incidents. She stressed the importance of ensuring women feel secure and called for proactive measures to protect them from harm.
With Quebec’s upcoming election, Corbin emphasized the crucial role politicians play in addressing femicide cases and urged for genuine commitment to tackling the issue. She underscored the urgency of the situation, pointing out the alarming number of women who have lost their lives to violence this year.
