The death of a 45-year-old woman the day after Christmas is a reminder of the red flags to be spotted to avoid other feminicides, according to workers in a shelter for victims of violence.

• To read also: Pointe-aux-Trembles: a man kills a woman before committing suicide

"It's always one too many", drops the director general of the Federation of women's shelters, Manon Monastesse.

The 40-year-old was reportedly killed with a hammer by a 45-year-old man who then took his own life. The police found the two bodies in the stairwell of an apartment building in Pointe-aux-Trembles.

It could be the 14th femicide in the province this year, according to a compilation by the Journal.

Ms. Monastesse explains that, in all cases, red flags were ignored, including harassment and refusal to accept the separation.

"It's too often the chronicle of an announced death, with always the same patterns," she explains.

Violence has no season

Demand is high for a place in women's shelters, whether it's over the holidays or at other times of the year.

“Domestic violence has no season,” sums up Louise Riendeau, spokesperson for the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victims de violence conjugale.

She points out that workers generally receive more calls in the days following a femicide.

"These are women who say to themselves: 'I don't want to be next.' »

She calls on women not to hesitate to seek help as soon as they do not feel well in their relationship, even if they do not consider themselves victims of violence.

“Control can manifest itself in all sorts of ways before it comes down to physical violence. It can be a spouse who tries to isolate his partner, a spouse who tries to control the couple's money, ”she illustrates.