Twenty years ago this Dec. 6, Marc Lépine raged through the hallways of École Polytechnique in Montreal, yelling “I want women” and threatening students with a .22-calibre rifle.

He separated men from women, sequestering the women in a classroom while telling the men to leave. Lépine then opened fire while screaming “I hate feminists,” killing 14 women and injuring 14 other people in a shooting spree that spread to three floors of the school. The shooter specifically targeted women in the attack now known as the Montreal Massacre.

On Monday, Nov. 30, the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association Womyn’s Centre will be holding a die-in honouring the victims of the Montreal massacre and others that have been murdered or silenced by misogyny. The Womyn’s Centre event is taking place in honour of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is officially held on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The event will consist of the die-in, followed by speakers from the Womyn’s Centre and a candlelight vigil and will start at noon in front of the Info Booth.

Violence against women is endemic in our society. The Montreal massacre was not an isolated incident, but a reflection of a widespread sexism.

Twenty years after the horrific events of Dec. 6, 1989, women still outnumber men nine to one as victims of assault by a spouse or partner, according to Statistics Canada. In the period between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004, 58,486 women sought refuge from abuse in 473 shelters across Canada.

Much sexist violence occurs behind closed doors, with seven per cent of women in spousal relationships having experienced spousal violence in the five years up to and including 2004.

Due to the hidden nature of this type of violence, many of us are unaware of the frequency at which it occurs. It is important for us to understand that every day, women are being hurt and murdered for no other reason than that they are women. Violence is happening. Pain is inflicted and it doesn’t just affect the women it is directed at.

Each of the 14 women massacred at École Polytechnique had friends and family who were deeply hurt by the loss of their sisters, their mothers, their daughters and their friends.

Violence against women, as all violence, does not just hurt the victim, but everyone involved. Because sexist violence is so widespread in our society, we are all hurt by it.

On Monday, Nov. 30, we take the time to consider how living in an unsafe environment affects all of us today. Coming together to remember and honour victims of misogyny is the first step towards creating a less painful, healthier society.

Becki Froese is a member of the Womyn’s Centre Collective at the University of Winnipeg.

Published in Volume 64, Number 13 of The Uniter (November 26, 2009)