On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine walked into École Polytechnique de Montréal and murdered 14 students because they were female.

He separated the male and female students in a classroom, allowed the men to leave and then shot the women.

In 1991, the day was designated as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by Canada’s Parliament.

“Dec. 6 serves as a reminder of gender-based violence as a reality, as well as bringing to light important issues that affect our society, such as gun control,” explained Jen Portillo, coordinator for the University of Manitoba’s Womyn’s Centre.

Universities across the country hold memorial services to remember the 14 women that were killed.

The U of M’s Womyn’s Centre is holding a memorial service on Dec. 6, in addition to creating an awareness display in University Centre and a GOSA display called Womyn Breaking Free from Violence.

Portillo said she felt that there is an assumption that it is solely a woman’s responsibility to avoid dangerous situations, which has been used to justify violence and rape.

“These are the assumptions that feminists and others have been working to combat,” she said.

The Womyn’s Centre has begun work on an anti-violence project initiative for our campus, which hopes to address the issue of gender-based violence.

Portillo also said that Dec. 6 is important because “gender-based violence is a prevalent problem [ . . . ] that cannot be silenced or ignored.”

Portillo said she felt that the recent robbery on the Bannatyne campus is evidence that violence affects women everywhere.

“It is not just physical violence which affects our campus,” Portillo said, explaining that sexist advertising, sexualized comments and gender-based discrimination are also forms of violence against women.

Shawna Ferris, an assistant professor in the faculty of Women’s and Gender Studies at the U of M, said that she would like to see people thinking about the violence that occurs all year round, in addition to the 14 women that were killed.
Ferris said she felt that in our culture, common beliefs and values that women are second-class citizens continues to contribute to violence against them.

“We need to fight violence against women at the level of policy and at the level of culture,” said Ferris.

Janice Ristock, associate vice-president (research) and a professor in the faculty of Women’s and Gender Studies at the U of M, explained that commemorations are important to remember all the women that have been lost and “all the potential that has been lost as a result.”

Ristock said that in Canada there is a risk of thinking that violence doesn’t occur often. She referenced the Robert Pickton case in B.C., as well as the roughly 500 aboriginal women that are subjects of unsolved murder cases or have been reported missing, as an example.

Ristock explained that women being targeted by violence results from inequity, racism and sexism that create situations where certain powerful or privileged people use violence to control them.

Ristock argued that we have to offer safe spaces for women, going beyond shelters to having affordable housing and safe jobs.

“We still need to see the connection between things like poverty and violence. [ . . . ] So much work needs to be done on all levels, from changing the way our society is stratified to education.”

Nancy Waugh, a representative from Status of Women Canada, listed several examples of initiatives the federal government has taken to reduce violence against women.

A family violence prevention program has been created, more statistical information has been gathered, legislations have been passed regarding female genital mutilation and trafficking of women, and the age of consent for young women in Canada was raised from 14 to 16.

Waugh said that she believed these steps have been effective, but also acknowledged that more work needs to be done to understand the root causes of violence and increase awareness and understanding in society.