A virtual vigil and discussion to be held to honour victims of Gender based violence and plan for a better future.

 

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is observed on Dec.6 annually to mourn and remember the 14 young women who were murdered on this day at Polytechnique Montreal in 1989.

At George Brown College (GBC), the day is observed with a vigil organized by the Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor Advocate program (AWCCA) along with support from Community Care Centre (CCC) and the GBC school of Social and Community Services.

The event will be held on Zoom this year with a memorial service followed by a panel discussion.

The panel will consist of members from the AWCCA program and the 519, which is an agency that works for 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Dr. Gervan Fearon, president of GBC will also be present to address the room.

Dom Sian, a second-year student in the AWCCA program, is a member or the organising committee for the event.

“When we think about gender-based violence, we think women and yes, that’s true, but it’s also [important] to think about how different women are affected by gender-based violence. Depending on their circumstances, and other identities as well,” said Sian.

The event this year will focus on expanding the definitions of gender-based violence and considering roles played by many other factors, such as socioeconomic status; sexual orientation; gender identities; and disabilities.

The murders in 1989 were an act of violent misogyny that made an impact across the country and was a reminder that violence of this nature exists in our society and needs to be addressed.

Taking a moment to reflect and advocate on the repercussions of gender-based violence is an important thing to do to build a safer community around us.

GBC’s virtual event is an opportunity for all to do that.

“I think it’s important just to pause and remember some of these things, especially thinking about how far we’ve come as women, and the rights that we have because of the people who came before us and fought for us,” says Sian, about the significance of this day.

Sian also spoke about steps that we can take as a community to help reduce violence.

They spoke of the general barriers that women face that make them more vulnerable and how GBC or educational institutions can help.

They said that financial opportunities can help motivate women in education and prevent violence that occurs against them due to unfair circumstances.

Programs such as SA’s SafeWalk also help address the fact that violence can happen on college campuses and that the college is aware and wants to help prevent that.

Sian further suggested reaching out to students themselves to ask what they need to feel safer on campus.

“Just asking, like maybe if they put out a survey to ask, what can we do? To just ask the students and ask the community, what can we do to better support you and then actually act on that and implement.”

All students and members of the GBC community are welcome and encouraged to join the event, to help further action against gender-based violence and violence on women.

The day also falls within the 16 Days of Activism observed internationally between Nov. 25 and Dec. 10 and is an opportunity to advocate on such issues.

The event does not require pre-registration. Interested individuals can join this zoom link directly to attend the event.