'Silence is not protection. It's permission': Alleged femicide victim's mother attends Shine the Light campaign launch
The kick-off to the 15th annual London Abused Women's Centre's 'Shine the Light' campaign was held Friday morning at the agency’s headquarters.
The focus of this year’s campaign is on ending human trafficking and femicide.
Fartumo Kuzow addressed the gathering. She believes silence is the enemy and helped contribute to the death of her daughter, Sahra Bulle, “Silence is not protection. It's a permission, and every time we keep silent, we're signing the dotted line on that permission slip given to the perpetrator."
36-year-old Bulle, a Windsor native, was reported missing in late May of 2023. Her body was discovered on June 6, 2023.
Bulle's estranged husband, Michigan resident Brian Aaron Marbury, was charged with first degree murder around the same time.
Sahra Bulle's estranged husband was charged with first degree murder in her death (Source: Fartumo Kuzow)
Kuzow said her daughter had made it to a woman's shelter after years of abuse, but she knew Sahra was still at risk. She feared the worst when she tried to reach out to her shortly before she was reported missing, “Her phone was registered under my name for safety reasons, and her find my phone app had been disabled and her G.P.S. had been disabled."
According to Kuzow, police, health care professionals and agencies focused on partner abuse knew of the threat Sahra faced – however, privacy policies paralyzed efforts to save her from her abuser, "I have come to the realization that even I played a part in that silence because I wanted to protect my daughter's privacy. She didn't want her siblings to know, her cousins to know, her aunts and uncles to know. I didn't want to betray her trust."
This year’s shine the light campaign is dedicated to Bulle and to 19-year-old St. Catherines native Samantha Lambert who was found dead near Welland in 2019. Police and family members believe Lambert had fallen victim to a human trafficking ring. LAWC Executive Director Jenn Dunn said her agency dealt with more than 320 cases of human trafficking in the last year alone, "We need to continue working together with all levels of government, all community organizations, to make real change."
The focus of the campaign is on the 401, with London part of a trafficking network that runs along that corridor.
The Shine the Light campaign is focusing on London's role in human trafficking along the 401 corridor (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
Dunn said there is a suite of tools being developed to try and combat human trafficking along the 401 that includes better training for service workers – with the focus on hotel, motel and restaurant employees. It would help them identify and safely report concerning behaviors that may be linked to trafficking.
Dunn told CTV News, "There's a lot of different campaigns across the country that are doing this kind of work. There's a huge campaign in Alberta called ‘Not In My City’ that does work specifically with airports to spread the message."
Samantha Lambert's mother, Yvonne, will take part in the Shine the Light tree lighting event next Friday, November 1. That is also the day when buildings across the city will light up purple.
The awareness campaign will hold its Wear Purple Day on November 15.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. election results: Mail-in ballots favouring NDP as recounts begin in 2 ridings
The B.C. NDP has claimed the majority of mail-in ballots tallied so far this weekend for the final count in the province’s nail-bitingly close 2024 election, increasing the chances of the party clinching a third term.
Another bumpy week ahead as Trudeau faces deadlines from Liberal MPs, Bloc
Another week, another raft of imminent challenges to Justin Trudeau's leadership of both the country and the Liberal Party.
Here's when you need to change your clock back
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
New polls show Sask. NDP leading over Sask. Party ahead of election day
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
17-year-old charged for driving 188 km/h on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Hollywood star Victor Garber gets emotional after surprise meeting with his former teacher in London, Ont.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
He lost a finger and survived a kidnapping. Then, this climber took on a 9,000-foot 'death-trap'
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of – and captured by – a feature film.
How to make sure your used clothes go to the right place – and not to organized crime
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity – and it often is. But it’s become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.
Nova Scotia Calls General Election for Nov. 26
With a provincial election announcement expected Sunday, Nova Scotia’s political party leaders have announced events.