To commemorate December 6, the day when 14 women were massacred in Montreal's Polytechnical Institute in 1989, and in protest of the violence which women continue to suffer in Québec, Canada and around the world, we, the Collective of Women of Diverse Origins whole-heartedly supports the resolutions which came out of the Workshop on Violence Against Women, at the Montreal International Women's Conference August 13-15, 2010.
The workshop was attended by women from around the world; the conference brought together over 400 participants from 32 countries. It culminated in the forming of an anti-imperialist International Women's Alliance.
• We denounce violence against women, whether perpetrated by individuals or more importantly by states, as well as sexist and racist responses of state and society to violence.
• Whether women are assaulted by members of the elite or state institutions, through imperialist forces or by local warlords and even by men who are purportedly their male comrades within a progressive movement, all violence is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and has to stop.
• We call for a stop to violence against marriage migrants by granting residency to marriage migrants who are raped and beaten by their spouses.
• We demand that refugee determination systems recognize violence against women and sexual violence as justification for granting refugee status.
• We resolve to demonstrate support and solidarity with indigenous women who are resisting the racist response of states to violence against them. (We condemn states as direct perpetrators of violence, or as indirect perpetrators through impunity, inaction when violence is committed against women from aboriginal or indigenous communities).
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• We denounce patriarchy as the common denominator in sexual violence and that is nourished, reinforced and works in symbiosis with colonialism, imperialism and capitalism.
• We condemn sexual violence in all its forms, against women in the world.
• We support struggles of women fighting violence, and against impunity or the marginalization and silencing of women who experience violence.
• We demand justice for all women who experience violence.
• We resolve to promote popular education as a means to engage citizens in the fight against violence.
Women of Diverse Origins, Member, International Women's Alliance
Violence of any kind is unkind, often disasterous.
MISINFORMATION about or MISINTERPRETATION of violence is as abusive.
The murder of 14 people at the engineering school was done by a mentally ill man, of Arabic heritage, in fact (with a Francophone adopted name).
Maybe the true response to December 7 was to mobilize society to aid in the identification and assistance for distressed persons boardering on psychosis, in danger of hurting themselves or others.
Paul Lepine killed himself, too. It is sad that this tormented man ended all opportunity to be a productive, happy man, marry, raise a family and enjoy long life. He needed compassion and intervention as he slipped into delusion and psychosis, ending in violence and death, 15 people.
TRUTH IS women are equally violent in the home as men are; you are more apt to be killed by your mother under age 12 than your natural father. MEN are victims of violence far greater than women, in general, are more apt to have substance problems, incarcerated, denied their own children, kill themselves, or die on the job.
I do see the shameless capitalization by women on this senseless act in Montreal. I do see that ELITIST men and their cohorts ELITIST women manipulate all lesser humans and children, as it has been since creation/cities/society 'organized' itself. Power and control is coveted by many, not the least of which is organized Women... with angelic spin on it.
The proper response to Polytechnique was greater funding for the marginalized mentally ill, DOMESTIC violence and SOCIETAL violence sans gender spin, and improving opportunity for those men/fathers/brothers/sons, who at the margins pushed out of the economy, as a direct result of greater opportuinity for women in the economy (as it should be!).
The truth is masculinity, being a man in today's millieau of rapid economic change and challenges, society altering to new realities, globalization, insecurity abounding IN the home and generally needs support, study and compassion. What is good for the gander is good for the goose, really. Men, by nature, do not organize as well their distress into groups, or see anything but individualism as 'strong'. But, the pain of female on male domestic violence, role disintegration and his reorganization, then be denied his children acting as equal caregivers, economic insecurity, isolation, and despair is a real 'tipping point' that needs concern...
I'd like to see real compassion at why this young man went mad, and get to the core issue.
I'd like to see real compassion at why society, not 'men' presses people to the brink, and then points a blameful finger for desperatation; when the stress is caused by evil elitists, of both genders. Government is full of them, follow the money.
Since 1989, we have had Columbine, Virginia Tech, and MANY others... it is not going to stop, with the 'Feminist' spin being the deafening cry for more money, more 'shelters', more divorce (after HER kids are born), shame, shame, shame on all men...
In Canada, the issues are more subtle and benign; Internationally, where religions are also a power tool against lesser humans and children, the issues are more complex, with war and designed famine, ethnic racism all contributing to misery. FOR MEN, and WOMEN, and CHILDREN, all.
Nope. Not buying it. Mourn the loss of 15 people. And really, why. Mourn the abject waste of human potential worldwide, due to perpetual greed of the elitists, and a total disregard for the rest of us.
Answer that, and Alfred Nobel has a medal for you.
Start with inclusiveness, men and his children, and women and her children, all, ALL put upon, just differently so. The enemy is not a gender, it is evil, 'economic scarcity', greed, elitism and the ruling class.
Amen.
London, Ontario
What an utterly ignorant and offensive post. I have no idea where to start: that "Arabic" is a language and not an ethnicity? That women were deliberately targeted in this attack? That the suggestion that women would "capitalize" on such an attack is so thoroughly disgusting and sadistic so as to defy belief? That trotting out willfully false statistics to make the laughable claim that women are more violent than men is equally disgusting? And again for the contempt shown for shelters and divorce law?
Thanks for your contribution, paleolithic man. Thankfully, the brave women who saw this tragedy for what it was--socially wrought and a symptom of systematic male violence--had the courage and thoughtfulness to mourn, organize, strategize and execute; such that their daughters would only encounter men like you in the museums in which you belong.