“I think every person has a defining moment where innocence is lost, and in that defining moment you forever remember where you were and what you were doing at the time.” – Michele Oliver

A rose ceremony and prayer was held on Dec. 6 in the UC to remember the 14 women who were killed in the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. On this day in 1989, a man began shooting inside the university, specifically targeting women who were in the engineering program. He believed the increasing number of women engineers was the reason he was not accepted into the engineering program.

“I think every person has a defining moment where innocence is lost, and in that defining moment you forever remember where you were and what you were doing t the time,” said Michele Oliver, assistant professor of engineering at Guelph. “For my parents’ generation, it was the assignation of JFK. For many members of your generation, it was the terrible events of Sept. 11, 2001. But for me it was Dec. 6, 1989.”

The event was hosted by the Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC), alongside Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). Vagina Monologues, GRCGED, and Women in Crisis. Brenda Whiteside reminded the audience that Dec. 6 was a day to help us remember how far we have come in terms of women’s rights, and also to remember how far we have to go. Women’s rights need to be examined, both within Canada and at an international level. As the events of this tragedy were specifically targeted at women, those women have become symbolic of violence against women.

Currently in Canada, women continue to outnumber men nine to one as victims of assault by a spousal partner, and three times as many women are killed by spouses. Girls experience the greatest risk of sexual assault from a family member, especially between the ages of 12- 16. There is an overwhelming amount of data that points to the fact that gendered violence is still prevalent in Canadian society.

“There is an underlying premise of gendered violence that assumes that it is a thing that happens to women, a natural state of things if you will,” said Demetria Jackson, CSA external affairs commissioner. “It assumes that it is the responsibility of women not to be violated or assaulted, and that if we acted in just the right way […] it would just stop. Women who experience violence often hear, ‘she asked for it’.”

A wreath laying in the Science and Engineering Memorial Garden and a prayer followed the ceremony. The different groups provided resources and counseling services for individuals who found that the day triggered their own experience with violence. SHAC and other campus groups gave Dec. 6 and gendered violence a visible presence on campus, and took a clear stand against violence against women.

 

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