Pledges focus on violence against women
‘It’s not just a women’s issue, it’s a societal issue’
Hamilton Pride chair Poe Liberado pledged to be a “seamstress and a mender of broken hearts” as part of her work toward addressing violence against women in Hamilton.
Hamilton Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont, known for her pieces on police and crime, pledged to tell the stories of women who are the victims of violence, “to be their voice, to honour their memory.”
And Margaret Black, president of the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 — which works to advance the status of women — pledged to support programs that will prevent violence against women, help men change their behaviour, ensure there are shelters and long-term housing for women and support laws and lawmakers that “do not blame the victims.”
The three were part of a ceremony staged Friday night at City Hall by YWCA Hamilton to mark the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
It is one of three events being held in Hamilton to mark the horrific day when a 25-year-old man entered École Polytechnique and shot and killed 14 women in a rampage that also saw him injure another 10 women and four men. In a classroom, he separated the men and women. He said he was “fighting feminism” and shot the nine women, killing six of them.
On Sunday afternoon at the Hamilton Bulldogs game, the new group MentorAction will provide information about violence against women and promote its website. MentorAction, an all-male commit- tee which received funds from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, says it supports feminist work being done in Hamilton and encourages men to seek help from services that deal with violence against women.
The YWCA ceremony featured 14 community members — one for each woman killed Dec. 6, 1989 — making pledges to address violence against women. This also included councillors Aidan Johnson and Terry Whitehead, Hamilton police Staff Sgt. Dave Dunbar, Immigrant Women’s Centre president Pauline Kaijura, Imam Hosam Helal of the Muslim Association of Hamilton and Labika Ghani and Ashley Yu, both 17 and members of the Young Women’s Advisory Council. Ghani and Yu read the names of the 14 women.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger and councillors Matthew Green and Doug Conley also attended.
Johnson said he would work to address violence against aboriginal women. Whitehead said he had visited Interval House, a shelter for battered women, and seen what women have had to face. He wants his daughter to be safe.
“It’s not just a women’s issue,” said the Whitehead. “It’s a societal issue.”
Henry Watson, president of the Hamilton Professional Fire Fighters Association, said his 530 members are committed to dealing with the issue.
“As men we have a responsibility to end this violence,” he said.