‘16 Days of Activism’ against gender violence” Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society

: The evening of Remembrance opened with a prayer led by FNAFS Cultural Worker Gerri MacDonald.

: A group of 14 were called were called to the front (by the names of the women killed at a Montréal university in 1989).All ages and both genders presented a purple rose, in memory to every girl and woman lost due to gender violence.

: On December 6th the Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society held a Remembrance Ceremony at their ‘16 Days of Activism’ against gender violence event, to commemorate the 14 female victims of a massacre on the same day in 1989 at a Montréal university. Trina Harrold spoke on gender violence.

: Shelly Winters and Sheila Sassie prepared an amazing spread of food for everyone, and Winters opened the ceremony at the microphone.

By Kathy Smith
The Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society held their first ‘16 Days of Activism’ against gender violence event from November 26th to December 6th. November 25th is known as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and marks the first of the 16 days. December 10th is International Human Rights Day, the final day the effort is recognized internationally.
The Friendship Centre held a Remembrance Ceremony on December 6th focusing on the tragedy that occurred that same day in Montreal in 1989, when 14 young women were gunned down by a man at l’École Polytechnique. Cynthia Butler is the Stop the Violence Counselor at the Society and runs the Stop the Violence Program. Butler says, “This is the first time we did this beautiful event and we are planning to do it every year. The last day, December 6th, brought youth, children and adults to work together that night. The highlight was about remembering the massacre of 14 female students in Montreal. They were killed only because they were women.”
As part of the ceremony, 14 participants were called to the front of the friendship centre (by the names of the 14 female engineering students who were killed at the Montreal University). “Each offered a purple rose in memory of the murdered students. It turned out to be very emotional, and several people cried – it was very touching,” says Butler.

A home cooked dinner was served, and the evening presented an opportunity for guest speakers and others to talk, as well as some live entertainment by local singers and musicians. In addition, three women from the Fort Nelson Community Literacy Society’s writing circle, read aloud the touching stories they had written on behalf of the slain women in the Robert Pickton murders in Vancouver. Prior to this, the society held two WOW groups on November 26th and December 3rd, and Seanah Roper led the special writing circle on November 28th.
November 25th was designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 1999 by the United Nations General Assembly. It commemorates the lives of the Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic who were violently assassinated in 1960. It pays tribute to them and urges global recognition of gender violence. Each year governments, international organizations, and NGOs are invited to organize activities for November 25th to raise public awareness about the continuing problem.
In 1991 December 6th was established as National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada by the Parliament of Canada, marking the murders at l’École Polytechnique. As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, the date is also an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women. It is a reminder that for some women and girls, violence is a daily reality, resulting in many deaths, destroying families, and weakening the fabric of our society.w