Violence Against Women Concerns Us All

28 years ago, Canada was shaken by the violent mass murder of 14 young women at École Polytechnique, generating awareness on the ongoing social issue of gender-based violence and misogyny.

Today, we commemorate and honour the lives of everyone who has died from gender-based violence and the intersection of systemic discrimination such as homophobia, poverty, and racism, including discrimination against Indigenous Peoples. This day is also about asking why acts of violence against women are still happening in 2017.

Violence against women continues to be a major tragedy. There has been no significant reduction of the problem, as rates of sexual assaults continue to remain high. Both police-reported and self-reported data indicate that women represent the majority of victims of specific forms of violence such as sexual violence, stalking and intimate partner violence, including intimate partner homicide.

#METOO, the recent social media trend, saw many courageous women sharing their stories, shedding light on a widespread culture that promotes acts of violence against women, in particular, sexual harassment and assault. The prevalence of toxic attitudes and violent acts against women is deeply disturbing but not surprising. It calls for a long overdue reflection on the social and institutional structures that promote these acts, as well as on our own actions.

Too many continue to sanction sexist beliefs and attitudes that dehumanize women and paint them as weak and inferior. These beliefs impact women’s rights and the level of respect they are shown. Society’s view of women has normalized the behaviours and attitudes that promote gender-based violence. Behaviours can take the form of jokes about sexual harassment or rape, meeting the act of catcalling a woman on the street with laughter, or the reaction of insistence and a predatory attitude when a woman says “NO”.

Consider a joke about harassment or consent. Even when a person insists they meant nothing by it, it still promotes a culture of violence and discrimination that has serious and real impact on women. The problem is that joking about consent has become so commonplace, it reinforces the perception that disregarding consent is somehow socially acceptable.

Being aware of the collective impact of these attitudes, and discussing ways to address the situation, not only among women, but among all of us, is an honest first step toward transforming our surroundings and confronting the issue. There is no such thing as an innocent bystander. Acts of gender-based violence concern us all and must be challenged, especially by those who think they have the privilege to ignore them.

To create change, it is essential to recognize that the issue of violence against women knows no frontiers. It happens every day, in our country, in our city, and in our neighbourhood.

Because violence against women concerns everyone, let’s raise awareness and step up to reinforce acts of respect to everyone, but particularly to women and girls!

Article prepared by The Canadian Federation of University Women

The 2013 Highs and Lows for Feminists in Canada

2013 was an eventful year for feminists in Canada, filled with highs, lows and other noteworthy events that fall somewhere in between. Compiling and categorizing such a list becomes a challenging task given that feminists are not a monolithic group that share all the same viewpoints, experiences or locations. None-the-less, below are some of 2013’s noteworthy events.

This is certainly not exhaustive, so please share any additions you may have in the comments section!

Highs

• Government of Canada assembled an advisory council to promote the participation of women on public and private corporate boards – the report with recommendations for Canada was meant to be released in the fall, but has yet to surface.
• Feminism in Canada is featured in the National Film Board’s film Status Quo? The unfinished business of feminism in Canada, directed by Montreal director, Karen Cho.
• The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women reaches strong agreed conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.
• The House of Commons passed Bill C-279, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity) to protect the rights of trans people.
• Premiers back national inquiry on missing aboriginal women
• The New Brunswick government announced the formation of Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus-Building Forum – they abolished all funding to the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women two years before, but who’s counting.
• Alice Munro, the Canadian author, became the 13th woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Hundreds of feminists gathered in Ottawa for the Second Women’s Forum des Femmes, hosted by Niki Ashton M.P., to discuss issues affecting young feminists.
• Feminists gather for a second roundtable on the Future of the Women’s Movement to discuss common goals leading up to the 2015 federal election.
• Over 1100 women participated in the Forum on the state of feminism in Montreal, Quebec in order to develop perspectives that could guide the feminist movement for the years to come.
• The Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women and Children and the Canadian Labour Congress launched the first ever survey on domestic violence and the workplace.
• Winnipeg became the first Canadian city to join the UN’s Safe Cities Global Initiative

In-Between

• Quebec’s Values Charter Splits Feminists
• A group of feminists, including author Margaret Atwood and former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, advocated for changing the gendered lyrics of the National Anthem again to mark the 100^th anniversary that the lyrics were changed to the ‘sons command’ version. No changes have been made.
• Canada ranks number 20 on World Economic Forum’s report on gender equality by country. This is up by 1 from last year but the report noted that gains made in Canada this year were offset by wage gaps and professional and technical indicators.
• The Supreme Court of Canada delivered a unanimous ruling in the Canada vs. Bedford et al. case to strike down existing criminal code provisions related to prostitution – the decision has elicited mixed feelings among feminists, some concerned, others elated.

Lows

• Parliament defeated Bill C-400, an Act to Ensure Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing for Canada
• Rehtaeh Parsons tragically took her own life in April. Her parents allege she was raped by four boys at 15 and tormented after a lewd image of the attack was shared around town and at her school. Cyberbullying becomes a big issue in 2013, with new criminal justice legislation introduced at the federal level and  in Nova Scotia.
• Students engaged in offensive pro-rape chants at Saint Mary’s University and the University of British Columbia. On the positive side, much needed discussions about sexual violence and consent intensify on campuses.
• Government of Canada dismisses repeated calls for a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women, including from the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples following a visit to Canada. His communications with Aboriginal people further confirm that they do not have faith that the Canadian government will take Aboriginal views into consideration when developing new policies and acts.
• Government of Canada refuses to fund abortion services abroad, even in cases of rape and child marriage
• Canada rejected several key recommendations from its Second Universal Periodic Review, including that Canada develop a national action plan to address violence against women, particularly against indigenous women.
• A survey revealed that one in five Canadians think a woman encourages sexual assault when she is drunk. Among the one and five appear to include Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente, and Dr. Ken Flegel who wrote an editorial for the Canadian Medical Association Journal expressing his opinion that he thinks alcoholic beverages should bear a warning to young girls.

 International

What were some of the big moments for gender equality on an international scale? Check out UN Women’s 2013 Gender Equality Year in Review and a video produced by the Association of Women’s Right’s in Development, Significant Moments for Women’s Right in 2013 .

Popular culture

In Canada we share a lot of a media with our neighbors to the South, so here are some of the highlights from American popular culture in 2013:

• Check out the video “How the Media Failed Women in 2013” by the Representation Project. It offers some celebratory moments, but highlights the aspects that aren’t changing fast enough.
• A strong group of female celebrities are speaking out on women’s rights
• 2013 was a great year for women over 40 in Hollywood
• Glamour Magazine declares calling yourself a feminist “the new do”