Dear friends and colleagues,
December 6 is the National Day for Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (also called White Ribbon Day).
This year, in the wake of recent violence against women and against Gender Studies at the University of Waterloo in June 2023, the remembrance of the massacre of 14 young women at the École Polytechnique in Montréal on 6 December 1989 will be particularly acute. It is a reminder that this horrific problem has not gone away, including within the world of post-secondary education.
Gender-based violence is not limited to women alone, but targets many groups, including 2SLGBTQ+ people, racialised people and Indigenous people. The intersectional dimension of gender-based violence means that people who are part of more than one group are at increased risk of being a victim, as the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has made clear in an exemplary way.
We remember those who have been victims of gender-based violence; we uphold those who have spoken out and taken action, and continue to do so; and we offer support to all those in our community who are living with the consequences of gender-based violence of all kinds. We must all play a role in ending gender-based violence within our local and global community.
Below are some links to information that may be of help and interest.
In solidarity,
ULFA’s Gender, Equity and Diversity Committee
Crisis lines:
In Alberta:
Family Violence Info Line
Phone: 310-1818 (multilingual services available)
Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence
Toll-free: 1-866-403-8000
Text: 1-866-403-8000
Email: mailbox@aasas.ca
At the U of L
Sexual Violence Awareness and Support
- Click here for more information or email sexualviolenceinfo@uleth.ca
Events at the U of L:
U of L Event: The Office of EDI will host an online fireside chat webinar on Wednesday 6 December 2023 from 2:30–4:00, hosted by Dr. Lisa Starr (Dean of Education), Courtney Smith (U of L’s Gender-Based and Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator) and Katie DeLucia-Burk (HR Project Assistant and Gender Inclusion Consultant and advocate). Read more and register here.
ULFA Working Group: ULFA’s GEDC has formed a Working Group in response to the hate-motivated attacks at the University of Waterloo last June, whose goal is to advocate for Members, liaise with Security and Administration, and track responses at other Universities. Please feel free to reach out the GEDC Chair if you would like more information or to be part of the Working Group.
Academic and other articles:
An article from 2021 discussing the role of media in preventing gender-based violence, co-written by Jordan Fairbairn (Western University), Ciara Boyed (University of Guelph), Myrna Dawson (University of Guelph) and Yasmin Jiwani (Concordia University).
Statistics Canada’s April 5 2023 release on “Gender-related homicide of women and girls in Canada”
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2023001/article/00003-eng.htm
Government action plans and Union statements:
The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
The Federal Gender-Based Violence Strategy
https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence/gender-based-violence-strategy.html
The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan (launched in 2021):
https://mmiwg2splus-nationalactionplan.ca/eng/1670511213459/1670511226843
First Nations Health Authority – Standing Against Gender-Based Violence from Nov. 25 to Dec. 6 – Onward, Always
“Calls for Justice” from the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Calls_for_Justice.pdf
The Confederation of Canadian Unions statement
Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) statement from 2018:
Some recommended reading:
Our Voice of Fire (2022, House of Anansi Press) https://houseofanansi.com/products/our-voice-of-fire
I Have the Right to by Chessy Prout (2019, Margaret K. McElderry Books)
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/I-Have-the-Right-To/Chessy-Prout/9781534414440
#MeToo in the Corporate World: Power, Privilege, and the Path Forward by Sylvia Anne Hewlett (2020, HarperBusiness)
