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Tragic Anniversaries: December 6, 1989 and November 30, 1984The month of December for most Christians, brings to mind thoughts concerning the celebration of the birth of Jesus. For many people, the month of December brings horrific memories of tragic anniversaries of violence against women and children. Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Maria Klueznick, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Maryse Laganiere, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault., Annie Turcotte., were the fourteen women who were shot and killed at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989 by an enraged known woman-hater. These young women went to school that day, full of aspirations for wonderful careers, oblivious to the fact that it would be the last day of their lives. (Please see the poem below, titled "Advent: Montreal, 1989," written by Sarah Klassen, (printed with permission)). An anniversary we take note of here at the MCC office at 134 Plaza Drive in Winnipeg, is the disappearance of the child of our own staff member, Wilma Derksen. Her daughter, Candace, disappeared 21 years ago, on Nov. 30, 1984, and her body was found on Jan. 17, 1985. Our staff grieves with Wilma and Cliff, as they remember their daughter and the violence which took her from them. Violence against women isn't new. Statistics Canada documents prove that the homicide rate for women has gone up by close to 30% in the last five years. In year 2000, 149 women were murdered in Canada. By 2004, that figure reached 196. The purpose for remembering the events of Dec. 6, 1989, and Nov. 30, 1984, is to move ahead with organized prevention programs, as well as to focus on the importance of listening to the voices of women. If every peace-minded person opposed acts of hatred and violence on humanity, and urged governments to include women in peace-making processes, visible changes would be evident in our society. One way in which people can be proactive against violence against women is to implore various levels of government to promote regulations against media programming which clearly promotes misogynistic thought patterns. At one event at which I was working with a group of Junior High School students, each teen had the opportunity to share their preferred music. Together, we listened to the music and discussed the words. One student played a song with words in it, such as: woman hater, I want to maim her, I want to rape her, I want to kill her. I don't remember the exact phrases. These words of disdain and hatred of women, clearly stand out in my mind. I did not care to find out who the "artist" was. This student's response to the question I posed of why he had chosen to play this particular song for us was: "I like the music." Calmly, I explained the impact this music had on me, as a woman. I told him that the words led me to believe that the song writer hated women, and in fact was promoting violence and hatred towards all women. I explained the damage which could be done to someone listening to this music for any length of time, and suggested that he destroy the cassette. My thought at the time was, "Was this quiet-spoken young man making a statement, showing his own propensity of hatred towards women, or seeking help?" I am dumbfounded that this type of music is allowed to be sold in stores, when any music of a racist nature would be banned in those same stores. Why is it okay to market music directed in hatred towards over one half of the population? What can we do about this? I invite all of the readers of this article to approach retailers who market this type of music and ask them to refrain from selling it. Voice your opinion because if no one speaks out, the practice will continue. Young ears will hear the defaming words over and over again and these words will penetrate into the very being of their souls, bringing about unhealthy and perhaps even violent attitudes towards women. The Manitoba Government just passed a law, the first of its kind in Canada which allows women to press charges against a stalker, even though he/she is not a cohabitating partner. Until now, a person who was being stalked by someone other than a sexual partner could not press charges. This new law is a step in the right direction. It does not prevent violence, but it is a small move towards empowering people, especially women. Let us make Dec. 6 a day to reflect, remember and plan for proactive ways in which every person be proactive in preventing and eliminating all forms of violence against people, especially women and children. Luke 4:18,19 speaks about people being given the spirit of God in order to be a "voice" to free those who have been oppressed and treated unfairly, and to give hope for a time when God will show kindness to all people. The spirit of God is alive and active in us, and it is up to us to show others this active Spirit through proactive acts of mercy and compassion. Let's use our voices and work towards eliminating violence in our midst.
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