Hatred of feminists was a new issue 20 years ago. - Women's Rights - not so. Women have fought so hard for equality and the right to attend university, to vote (1920 in the US; 1927 in Canada), to be declared 'persons' .
In 1989, a male anti-feminist murdered 14 female engineering students. Targeting women, it was the first time that such violence was directed at women. He entered a classroom and told the men to leave. His rant, obviously a seriously disturbed man, who blamed women for his issues. This man was rejected by the army for irrational behaviour. He screamed out at the victims that he hated feminists, they "ruined his life", he wrote in his suicide letter. Nathalie Provost survived, and graduated engineering. She speaks out.
YET THE VIOLENCE CONTINUES.
Christina Long, May 21, 2002, pictured above, right, was murdered by a man she met on the Internet. The Natalia Novak murder, is another recent story, or the beloved Toronto real estate agent, Susan Ryan, murdered by her former Toronto police officer husband. They need to have their stories told. Most are murdered by men whom they know, not strangers, although not all. You can read my Internet Safety PPT for teachers and parents. Protect your children.
In 2008, writes the Globe & Mail,
- 41 % of female victims were murdered by rifles and shotguns
- 5.8% were murdered with handguns.
Fleeing abuse is a difficult prospect. See my previous posts: Muskoka Housing Statistics and The myths of Muskoka Housing.
- Adequate, affordable and accessible housing is a safety issue… it is part of protecting women from the cycle of violence. (YWCA 2009)
- In the 12 months between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008 – 101, 000 women and children – entered shelters in Canada – 75% were fleeing abuse.
The statistics often are not reflected in media coverage. The Highway of Heroes is well-lauded. Canadians publicly mourn 133 soldiers dying in Afghanistan, yet...
Between 2000 and 2006
- The US lost 8000 women to domestic violence.
- Canada lost 101 soldiers, and 500 women to domestic violence.
- More than half of Canadian women have been victims of at least one act of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16 (Status of Women -Canada)
- Every year, about 25 women are killed by their intimate partners in Ontario.
- Almost 40% of women assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the event, which can lead to PTSD.
- In sexual assault cases 80% know their abusers and 90% of incidents take place at home.
- Victim Services Programs
- Domestic Abuse Resources, Hotlines
- Victim Witness Assistance Programs (VWAP)
- Mandatory charge policy (2000) - if reasonable grounds
- Domestic Violence Handbook: Course (2001) - OPP College
- Increased cooperation with justice sector partners; service providers.
Martin, J. (1992). The White Ribbon Campaign, Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation Newsletter, December 1992.
3 comments:
One thing I notice was how the news media always said that Marc Lapine complained how 'women were taking men's jobs' and it makes people wonder what a strange world it would be if women couldn't enter the workforce. As a society we'd only ever get half as much done, and the office xmas parties would be pretty boring. I put this MyMuskoka blog post 20th Anniversary of a Massacre on Digg so your friends can thumb it up.
As someone who was in a bad situation once, I know the numbers are true. Thanks for posting this... It can't be done enough!
a very sobering post, thanks for sharing...
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