Volume 11 No. 2 December 2009
Photo of the Sisters in Spirit vigil in Ottawa, October 4, courtesy of the Native Women’s Association of
Canada.
On the evening of October 4th 2009, we stood with friends holding candles in the darkness on Parliament
Hill. We were attending the Sisters in Spirit Vigil, one of 72 gatherings across the country to honour the
lives of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. Women came together to remember, to grieve and to
share their stories of personal loss. Families held up pictures of their loved ones and spoke of their
unending pain.
Women stand together at vigils, we march together in memory of stolen sisters, we walk together on the
streets of our towns and cities and we take back the night. We mark days on the calendar to commemorate the
losses and we become activists for women’s rights. These are acts of self-preservation, ignored by our
governments, law enforcement agencies and the media. In a society that is increasingly hungry for “reality
television,” there is little appetite for news of the daily reality of violence against women. Here are some
of the facts about violence against women in Canada:
- Every minute of every day, a woman or child is sexually assaulted.
- 1-2 women each week are murdered by a current or former partner.
- Half of women have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of
16.
- More than 500 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or been murdered in Canada over the last 30
years.
The statistics are staggering. So where do we start? What can we do as women to advocate for our sisters and
ourselves? We’re already doing great work, but we must do more. Whenever there is an opportunity to address
violence against women, we must seize that opportunity. Attend rallies and events, march with your sisters,
write letters to your representatives and exercise your right to vote. Consider organizing a Local Women’s
Committee to take on the cause. Women united are a powerful force.
Inside
- Women and the Economic Crisis
- CUPW Women vs. Manulife
- A Sister Needs Our Help
