It has been 22 years since 14 women were murdered at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. These women were killed (and some 10 other shot and injured) simply because they were female. The gunman, Marc Lepine, claimed he was "fighting feminism" before firing his Mini-14 semi-automatic.
The Status of Women Canada states, " As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also an opportunity to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. And finally, it is a day on which communities can consider concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls."
It is so important to remember on this day, and everyday for that matter, the violence that women have endured and continue to endure. Violence against women is a real problem and we must acknowledge it and work together to try and come up with support and solutions.
For some December 6th events in Toronto and the GTA, please check out the sites below:
Hey! I am really glad you posted this!
ReplyDeleteMandy was saying the other day in Integrative that the AWCCA program organizes the memorial at GBC, and said that an email should go out to all the students. I have yet to receive one. Do you - or anyone else - know when/where it is?
This makes me so angry that this happened. But it's my understanding that the white ribbon campaign began from this incident and is predominately a man driven campaign about violence against women, which I think is really important. Men need to be apart of the movement to end violence against women.
Check out their website:
http://www.whiteribbon.com/