Mother of Sahra Bulle launches foundation to fight intimate partner violence, as new event hopes to get students engaged

Six months after the death of Sahra Bulle, her mother says she continues to be "filled with rage" after her daughter's body was found in a field — but she's hoping to channel that anger into a new foundation that she hopes will put more eyes on the topic of intimate partner violence.

The 36-year-old's body was found and identified by police this past June, a week and a half after she was last seen by friends and family.

Her estranged husband was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Bulle's mother, Fartumo Kusow, said she wanted to create a foundation in her daughter's name so she can continue to build a legacy.

"Anyone outside the family who knows of my daughter just knows of the week that she was missing and the final outcome. But there was more to her than that," said Kusow.

"I wanted to create a positive legacy of all the things she could have done for the next 50 years that she was denied. Something positive out of something really terrible."

The Sahra Bulle Foundation is hosting its first event — the #IAmSahraBulle Conference — in collaboration with the University of Windsor's Office of the Vice-President of People, Equity and Inclusion.

The conference aims to bring together advocates and survivors to foster "dialogue, education and actionable steps" against gender-based violence, according to organizers.

"This is not a woman's issue. This is a human issue," said Kusow.

Advocates have previously said Bulle is the fourth victim of an alleged femicide in Windsor-Essex in the last two years.

Janice Madison, 67, became the fifth person on that list when she was the victim of an alleged stabbing last week.

Similarly to the Bulle case, Windsor police have charged Madison's husband with first-degree murder.

Kayla Hurst, of the Office of the Vice-President of People, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Windsor, said gender-based or intimate partner violence "knows no limits" on age, race, gender or creed.

"According to the Government of Canada's police-reported data from 2019, just over 100,000 people aged 15 and over experienced intimate partner violence," said Hurst.

"We also know 79 per cent of those affected were women-identifying people."

Hurst added it's important for student-age individuals to be exposed to education on intimate partner violence before they leave university.

"Education about the sensitive topics help break societal norms and stereotypes, while encouraging inclusivity and respect for all genders," said Hurst.

"We're creating spaces where students can openly discuss and comprehend the complexity of these issues. This not only supports survivors but also nurtures a generation that actively challenges harmful behaviors and attitudes."

As for Kusow, she said processing the loss of her daughter has left her "in a haze" as she struggles with a series of unanswered questions left swirling in her head.

"But if I can use that in a way to bring out something positive, that's what I'm trying to do," said Kusow.

"It's a large number of individuals within our community that's conspirating this kind of treatment and if we know the signs to watch out for, then we might be able to tell the difference between couples that are having a dispute versus somebody who's being harmed.”

The #IAmSarahBulle Conference takes place on Dec. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CAW Student Centre Alumni Auditorium.

People can attend the conference virtually as well, with details available on the event's website.