First, we would underscore that battered woman syndrome is not a defence. It's self-defence, and it's supposed to be taking into account the battering impact. Actually the syndrome has, I would suggest, contributed to some of the confusion, because it requires a pathologizing of the woman's behaviour as unreasonable. We're suggesting that a subjective understanding of reasonableness would see the woman's response as a reasonable response to an unreasonable situation of violence. So we need to have in here some indication of the nature of the course of control and violence against women. I don't see any reason why you couldn't even add in duration and history of relationship and include such matters as histories of course of control and violence against women. I wouldn't say “domestic violence”. It is a gendered notion. Occasionally, you'll have another situation, but very occasionally. This is something we certainly see predominantly with women, along with perhaps some of the systemic discriminatory notions for racialized women in particular.
On February 9th, 2012. See this statement in context.