Sexism, inequality still pervasive in Waterloo Region, marchers say
Participants walk 1.5-km route through snowstorm in support of women’s rights
WATERLOO — More than 125 people braved relentless snow and a wind chill of -14 C Saturday to march through Waterloo as part of a global effort to defend women’s rights.
“It’s fantastic,” said Dianne Piluck as the snow swirled about her during the 1.5-kilometre march from uptown Waterloo to Wilfrid Laurier University.
“I’m not a winter person, but we all feel that this cause is important enough that we all showed up. Nothing’s going to hold us back.”
The snowstorm prompted the university to close at noon, but it kept the athletic complex open until the women’s march event had finished.
They bundled up their kids, put on snow pants and tuques, and walked through deepening snowdrifts to raise awareness about sexual violence, women’s rights to control their bodies and continuing inequality for women.
“I’m willing to put up with a little discomfort to support the eons of discomfort that women have endured,” said marcher Dina Dias of Kitchener. The march brings commitment to
the cause for those who participate and creates awareness for those who see the marchers, she said.
Passing cars honked and drivers waved in support as the walkers trudged up King Street.
There’s a need to keep women’s issues in the public eye, and to continue raising awareness, many marchers said.
“We marched 30 years ago, and things are the same, if not getting worse,” said Lori Fioze. Dias agreed.
“We’re not anywhere near where we need to be,” she said. An incident in December, when a Waterloo bar was criticized for a sign that joked about sex with underage girls, shows that there’s work still to be done, she said.
“It’s happening up the street, it’s happening in our backyard, it’s happening in our homes,” she said. “It needs to stop.”
The case of former Kitchener neurologist Jeffrey Scott Sloka, whom 63 different women have accused of sexual assault, is another local example that problems persist and need further action, said Sara Casselman. So does the fact that there are 140 women on the wait-list for counselling at the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, said Casselman, the centre’s executive director.
The march in Waterloo was one of 40 marches in 21 countries across the world. It’s the fourth year the march has been held — the first was in 2017 after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is accused of boasts of assaulting women and belittling them.
While in some respects women have made gains over the years, inequality still persists, said many of those taking part in the march. There’s still a wage gap between men and women. Women can make allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault, even multiple women against a single perpetrator, and still not be believed. The province resists giving wage increases to workers in sectors where women predominate, such as teaching and nursing, but male-dominated fields such as policing and firefighting are broadly supported, noted Carolina Miranda, one of the speakers when the march ended at Laurier.
“I’m here for multiple reasons,” said 11-year-old Marin Clelland. “No. 1, for exercise. No. 2, I believe all people should have an equal amount of rights, no matter what gender they are, or even if they don’t have a gender.”
“There are many people, regardless of gender, who don’t have the rights that we do,” said her mom Heather Anderson. “And until everyone is equal, none of us are.”