On December 6, 1989, 13 female students and a female administrator at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal were murdered.
The names of these women were:
- Geneviève Bergeron
- Hélène Colgan
- Nathalie Croteau
- Barbara Daigneault
- Anne-Marie Edward
- Maud Haviernick
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz
- Maryse Laganière
- Maryse Leclair
- Anne-Marie Lemay
- Sonia Pelletier
- Michèle Richard
- Annie Turcotte
- Annie St.-Arneault
They were killed because they were women.
It was in the aftermath of their deaths that Canadian Parliament designated December 6 as a national day of remembrance.
Nearly 30 years later, the effects of this tragedy continue to be felt and women remain targets because of their gender.
Gender-based violence is an unignorable issue in our community. It includes any act of violence or abuse that can result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, where the motive is to exert power based on gender differences.
Here in Canada, the numbers are staggering:
- 67% of Canadians know a woman who has experienced physical or sexual abuse.
- Out of the 83 police-reported intimate partner homicides in 2014, 67 of the victims—over 80%—were women.
- Indigenous women are killed at six times the rate of non-aboriginal women.
- Women living with physical and cognitive disabilities experience violence two to three times more often than women living without.
- Women are at greater risk of experiencing elder abuse from a family member, accounting for 60% of senior survivors of family violence.
- On any given night across our country, 4,476 women and their 3,493 children sleep in shelters because it isn’t safe at home.
Acting together
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women is about remembering victims, and it is also a time to take action. We each have the opportunity and the responsibility to stand up against misogyny, sexism, and hate – in our communities, in our workplaces, in our cities and in our society.
Today is a day community members mobilize their networks, advocating for concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. How will you lend your voice to the cause? How will you take action?
Tonight, vigils and events will take place to remember those lost to gender-based violence. Find one in your community here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing gender-based violence, please contact Battered Women’s Support Services at 604-687-1867.
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