Day of Remembrance at UNBC
Prince George RCMP Constable Sonja Blom – photo 250 News
Prince George, B.C. – A memorial was held in the Winter Garden at UNBC today to remember the 14 woman murdered almost 25 years ago at L’École Polytechnique in Montréal.
It featured the thoughts and reflections of several speakers including student Mia Pupic.
UNBC student Mia Pupic
“The memorial is an eye opening affair to what is actually happening in society today. It reminds us though 25 years has passed since the tragedy, we have barely scratched the surface of gendercide – also known as gender based violence.”
Constable Sonja Blom with the RCMP’s Domestic Violence Unit confirmed violence against women remains highly prevalent in our society.
“To date from January 1st this year until this morning there have been 1,031 domestic violence related cases in Prince George.”
She said 60% of those are verbal arguments and 40% physical assaults, threats, or criminal harassment.
“So we’re looking at 400 cases roughly. Over one a day in Prince George.”
And sadly said Blom, as few as 10% of such cases are reported.
“Sometimes it’s out of fear, sometimes they don’t have the financial support or the support to look after their children. There are a number of barriers.”
And then there’s the threat of retaliation women feel.
“I’ve had woman say what are you going to do when he gets out of jail? Because sadly in our country our legal system is just not that severe.”
Comments
What about violence by women? An example everyday there is violence by women against children. For example the woman who threw her newborn down a storm drain in Australia. What does this group have to say about that?
I am tired of men being singled out. This is sexist and discriminatory and I thought there were laws against that.
This article is just so amateurish it wreaks of PC generalization that stands up to not even the slightest scrutiny.
The irony of having the RCMP member speak is just hilarious, if it wasn’t so poorly timed. Has the class action sexual harassment suit been settled yet?
ANYBODY that has the pleasure of dealing with the cowering judges who make up the family court system, realize to whom the deck is stacked. It is this event, that is used as an excuse to perpetuate the inequality within this system.
To reassure all women that they are in fact a victim, and just don’t know it, while all men are perps in waiting, enables our court system to never reform.
Notice it was the women who was denied legal aid to fight her husbands desire to take the kids on vacation outside the country, that made national news, not the unreported hundreds of cases of men who have been, not only denied legal aid, but bankrupted in the process, by lawyers and angry ex’s who use the courts as their play thing.
In a province that has a woman as Premier and many more across the nation, I would say the glass ceiling has been shattered. Enough already.
How many acts of violence against men by women are there? I read just a small percentage are reported so what is the real numbers. Violence against anyone no matter of sex, race, etc is appauling and all needs to be stopped. Signalling out one group over another diminishes all other groups.
The highway of tears revolves around First Nation females and it takes the focus off violence to other females, which is wrong. Another huge wrong is violence against children, they have no day, no special funding and both women and men are the abusers…
It should be the focus to stop all violence against anyone.
http://time.com/2921491/hope-solo-women-violence/
I’m in favour of all efforts to end acts of violence. However, I find it very interesting that the numerous Women’s organizations are extremely vocal about dealing with violence when it is perpetrated at women, by men, while at the same time these Women’s organizations seem to be conspicuously silent on the issue of the increasing incidents of violence perpetrated by women, against women!
Shouldn’t we all be advocating for an end to violence, of all kinds??
What happened to the sexual harassment of that UNBC female student against his professor in Computer Science? How come UNBC is still accommodating that professor? Or why is UNBC History program still accommodating another professor whose yelling insults in UNBC cafeteria were echoed in the chambers of this very winter garden? When is the day in UNBC to remember these, I want to attend and speak in that ceremony.
Hart Guy: “Shouldn’t we all be advocating for an end to violence, of all kinds??”
Exactly. I thought we were beyond this kind of stereotyping and PC nonsense, but I guess it’s ok if it’s a guy you’re doing it to.
Really, people? Do you recall the events of Dec Amber 6, 1989? why would you begrudge those who took time today to honour the memory of 14 women who were gunned down by someone whose plan was to “kill all the feminists” keeping him from his “rightful place” in an engineering program. How’s about we remember that today. There are plenty of other days we can explore your complaints.
seamut, that’s a very interesting article and I hope that more people read it and share it!
Unfortunately that’s not likely to happen within the ranks of our “Women’s” Organizations because as I stated earlier, the various Women’s organizations seem to be conspicuously silent on the issue of the increasing incidents of violence perpetrated by women, against women! Never mind that they are also silent on the issue of violence by women against men!
I said it earlier and it bears repeating “Shouldn’t we all be advocating for an end to violence, of all kinds??”
I doubt that will ever happen. Years ago, I asked the head of a very large Women’s Resource Centre why they ignored the issue of violence perpetrated by women against other women. She told me that it wasn’t their mandate, their mandate was to address issues of violence, but only by men against women. She added that this is what they received funding for!
How sad that such an influential organization is so willing to look the other way!
@NJ Baker, I have no problem with remembering the event, it’s the inferrence that all men are potential violent offenders and abusers unless proven otherwise I take issue with.
Comments for this article are closed.