Seven Oaks Magazine.

On December 6, 1989, a lone gunman entered an engineering class at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and massacred 14 women, after having separated the men from the women and telling the men to leave. December 6 is now a national day of remembrance and action on violence against women.

Dana was one of the organizers of a day-long event held December 6 in Vancouver at the main branch of the Public Library. She spoke to Seven Oaks about the continuing struggle to end violence against women.

1. Could you describe some of the ongoing work of your organization, which is hosting today’s commemoration and educational event?

We’re called Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, and we run a 24-hour rape crisis line as well as a transition house for women escaping male violence. We organize this event every year on December 6 as a way to discuss violence against women and strategize about ways to end it.

2. What changes, or advances, do you think we’ve seen in terms of awareness of violence against women in these 15 years since the massacre?

I’d like to say that a lot has changed but I don’t think that is true. What became really obvious in 1989 when the massacre happened – it was a strong statement about the backlash against feminism. So, in terms of what we’ve seen since then, I think we have seen an increase in awareness, certainly that event increased awareness, and there is more exposure about what are women’s experiences, both in terms of rape and battery and in terms of sexual harassment in the workplace, all those forms of violence. So I think there is more discussion about it, but it’s still happening. So we still have to be vigilant about continuing to talk about it and continuing to strategize about how to end it.

3. Could you tell us a little bit about the day’s event here, and about the different educational workshops planned?

Sure. We have about 14 workshops happening today. But what we’ve got up here in the atrium is a series of displays about different forms of violence against women and something of an interactive activity called ‘A walk in her shoes,’ which is a way for participants to experience what it’s like for a woman who has experienced violence. You know, what are the channels that she can use after that? What kind of response does she get, both within the system and outside the system, to resist and fight back against that violence.

4. There is still a lot of denial about violence against women, or a perception that it is just something that a couple should work out on their own. What are some of the statistics about the continuing prevalence of violence against women?

We still know that 1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. 1 in 8 women under the age of eighteen will be raped. We know that 90 percent of attacks are done by someone that she actually knows. We get 2000 calls a year, and we house up to 200 women a year at our transition house. So there’s no question that it’s still happening.

5. How has your organization, and the women’s movement as a whole in B.C., been impacted by the Campbell government and all of its cuts to women’s centres and social services?

That’s had a really big impact, predominantly in the closing of women’s centres. That’s been a really harsh change, and it limits the ability of women to group together and organize together, that’s really a big role that those centres play. So that’s had a big impact. Cuts to welfare have had a huge impact. You know, welfare is something that women often need when they’re escaping an abusing partner. And they come to our transition house, and we need to be able to tell them that there is something to actually transition into. But the cuts to welfare have made it increasingly difficult for women to actually leave violent relationships, because they may be financially dependent on their husbands. That’s another major impact on women.

6. One of your workshops today is on the missing and murdered women of the Downtown Eastside. What is your view of the authorities' response to the issue of the missing women?

I think that in the beginning there was a lot of cover-up about what was really going on and not enough attention paid and I think that was because these women are prostituted women. And the attitude was that they’re somehow of lesser status or not as important so their lives were not as valued as other women’s. I think that, through the work of feminists, more attention has been paid and we’ve been pressing the police to do their jobs. So I think it’s gotten better, but there’s still a long way to go. And I think the exposure about those missing women, particularly by women and by feminists organizing together, has been what has really improved that response to those murders.

7. What can men do to be allies to the women’s movement, and what do community and political organizations need to do to be safe, accessible spaces for women to participate?

What I think men can do is take responsibility and call each other on sexist behaviour or violence. I think that men have a responsibility to do that. One very specific thing that men can do is we have, Rape Relief has, a house funding committee, which is a group of men who are committed to ending violence against women. Part of what they do is raise money for Rape Relief, but they also have their own consciousness raising and discussions about how they as men can end violence against women.

In terms of other organizations, I think one really important thing is to continue our discussion between organizations and maintain our alliance so that we can stay strong and fight together.

For more information on the work and services of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, go to http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/.