Offenders and victims speak together in a series of 1-2 speaking engagements a month throughout British Columbia to educate people about the impact of murder.
L.I.N.C. believes that it can assist survivors of serious crime in bringing their agenda forward – not as a theoretical construct or an abstract ideal, but in a way in which their voices are truly heard. Homicide, murder, infanticide and manslaughter are all words for the same thing – taking the life of another.
Fortunately for most Canadians, they will never know the pain and suffering of losing a loved one in such circumstances. Victims, along with their families and friends, are often forgotten and left alone in their grief. Offenders, along with their families and friends are isolated behind a wall of shame. Left unanswered are basic questions such as:
- How does one cope with the trauma of sudden death?
- What does it mean to take a life and to live with that guilt?
The speaking engagements aim to explain in very human terms the impact of murder. The community benefits by not having murder glorified and by assisting survivors of homicide in having their voices heard in a variety of venues when they have traditionally been shunned is one benefit.
In 2012-2013, 33 speaking engagements took place at service clubs, non-profits, churches, funeral homes and community forums. One was documented on the CBC News World show Connect with Mark Kelly in December 2011. This series won the prestigious Gabriel Award.
In December 2012, Global showed one of these speaking engagements on December 17th across the country as well.