One of the acquired traditions of the December 6 memorial service is a moment of silence followed by an unabated moment of screaming. Women and men screamed wholeheartedly for their anger about violence against women last Thursday at the annual Philosopher’s Walk ceremony.
About 300 people gathered, holding candles, in front of a symbolic graveyard full of tombstones honouring women who have been victims of violence in the past year.
“‘Women Won’t Forget’ is here to tell the stories for women who can’t tell them themselves,” said an organizer. Women Won’t Forget puts together the ceremony each year to remember December 6 1989, when Marc Lepine walked into the University of Montreal and killed 14 women.
The Montreal Massacre has since become a day of action against gender violence. Marilyn Oldimeji, a Toronto Rape Crisis community activist, spoke about women’s constant fear in a society where one in four women will be assaulted in her lifetime.
“Women all around the world live in fear that they can become statistics for that day, month, week, year.”
Catherine Brooks, executive diretor of Anduhyaun Inc., an emergency shelter for Native women and children, called for no more violence, killing or exploitation of women. She was followed by a speaker from the Afghan Women’s Solidarity Organization of Ontario, who asked, “What will be the future of women in Afghanistan?,” in light of the current war and the precarious status of the Taliban. In the context of the war, Anna Willats pointed out that the terrorism North Americans have been hearing about does not include the terrorism that is being waged in their own back yards on women.
“The Canadian government has not declared war on that kind of terrorism,” she said.
