How Can We Remain Silent About Violence Against Women?

By Ettie Rutherford
Contributing Columnist

Each year, on December 6, Canadians mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This is to commemorate the killing of 14 young women, by a murderer, who felt that women should not be at L’Ecole Polytechnique, an engineering college in Montreal.

In spite of this incident, please remember that most violence against women is not perpetuated by deranged strangers, but by family members and friends, and that 40-60 percent of the abusers witnessed assault during their childhood.

Did you know that in Canada: 118 women were killed in 2019; over 3,000 women, with 2,900 children, live in emergency shelters; and March 31, 2010, saw 582 cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women?

These facts and statistics also highlight the mental health implications for women and their families.

We need to urge the government, community organizations, as well as health institutions, to see this outrage, not as women’s issues, but to deal with it as a national disgrace.

Much more must be expected, and demanded, because as we all know…women are worthy!

In Sisterhood.

Award-winning Ettie Rutherford, B.Ed, Dip.Ed, M.Ed, is an educator, life coach, consultant and author of “Why Perch Like A Chick When You Can Soar Like An Eagle?”. An accomplished public speaker, Ettie is the Founder and CEO of Women Are Worthy, which provides step-by-step strategies for women to achieve their goals, with a minimum amount of stress. She can be reached at ettie@womenrworthy.com