National Day of Remembrance statement from Judi Filion

December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. The day was established by the government of Canada to mark the anniversary of the murders of 14 women students at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989.

I remember the moment when I first heard the news. I felt shock, sadness, and anger. I was in utter disbelief that 14 young women had been slaughtered simply because of their gender.

It's not easy to forget the events of December 6, 1989. Nor should we. Violence against women, sadly, remains a problem. All too frequently we hear of yet another woman beaten to death by a partner, or missing from Vancouver's downtown eastside, or killed by her husband's family. Women are still unsafe in their homes, communities and workplaces.

Statistics tell us one woman in six is physically or sexually abused by her husband, ex-husband or live-in partner. More than 60 percent of female homicides are due to family violence. A woman in Canada is raped every 17 minutes. Some 25 to 30 percent of all children witness their mothers being beaten.

This has to stop.

December 6th is a special day of mourning and remembrance. But we all need to work together every day of the year for as long as it takes to end violence against women.

Judi Filion is treasurer of the BCGEU and chair of the Provincial Executive Women's Committee.
 

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