On December 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered by a misogynist at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, because they freely chose to go where there were more colleagues than sisters.
Those who aspired to work in engineering will ultimately never be able to realize their dream of a different world. It is enough to think back to this terrible day to have shivers. And not only for the collective trauma that this tragedy has caused us, no: because the hatred of women is more and more uninhibited.
November 25 is the International Day that inaugurates the 12 Days of Action for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which will culminate on December 6.
First of all, we need to take the time to reflect, to remember the victims of Polytechnique and to have a thought for their loved ones. But that is not enough. For society to change in the long term, reflections must lead to concrete actions to counter violence against women and girls.
In Quebec and in Canada, women’s rights have continued to grow for sixty years. Women can make themselves heard, take part in public debates, occupy more and more key positions. Despite all the progress made, these victories remain fragile. Whether we think of our neighbors to the south, where several states have adopted laws to constrain and even deny the right to abortion, or of Iran, where violent demonstrations are still raging to denounce the death of a very young woman, killed for not wearing the veil properly.
Don’t compare yourself to the worst
And comforting oneself by thinking “that here, it’s not so bad” is a mistake, because it is not by comparing oneself to the worst that one becomes better. The boy club are still present among us, women are still excluded from certain sections of Quebec society and, even more worrying, too many people seem to want a return to the era when men decided and women had to obey.
Indeed, we are witnessing a clear rise in conservatism, and misogyny is visible everywhere: on social networks, in discussion forums, in certain niche media and on the web in general.
This hatred of women is displayed, uninhibited and shared. The slope is slippery. And very dangerous.
In 2021, Quebec was experiencing a real “wave” of feminicides: one every 15 days. This year again, according to SOS violence conjugale, 21 people, i.e. 14 women, 1 man and 6 children, have died in a context of domestic violence to date. While COVID-19 has exacerbated the levels of violence already experienced by women and girls, it is misogyny that has long normalized violence against them, historically and today. If left to spread, in the virtual world as well as in the real world, these assaults could reduce all efforts aimed at eradicating violence against women to very little.
On the occasion of the 12 days of action against violence against women, we must, together, women and men, continue to denounce it. Too many mothers, sisters, aunts, neighbours, friends suffer from it, in Quebec as elsewhere, and we must take all the means to put an end to it, in particular by getting actively involved in our living and work, both virtual and face-to-face. Let’s be among those who shape a world of equality and freedom.