By Alice Liu | March 23rd, 2023
When discussing the importance of seeking gender equity, Woodlands social science teacher Ms. Martin says: “I have two young girls and I want them to grow up in a world where [gender-based violence] doesn't exist.”
If you’ve seen The Prefects and The Reconciliation Club handing out red and white ribbons in past years and wanted to learn more about this event’s symbolism, how pertinent it is to our school environment today, or how to promote gender equity year-round, look no further.
Monday, December 6th marked the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, also known informally as White Ribbon Day. On this day, we commemorate the 14 young women murdered in 1989 at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, a politically-motivated act undertaken in the name of “fighting feminism”. For 2022’s White Ribbon Day, we also call attention to the statistical rise Canada has seen in violence against women and girls based on their gender ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon is the “Shadow Pandemic”, an indictment of our collective failure to keep women and girls safe.
As a school within the Peel District School Board, we acknowledge our own “Shadow Pandemic”. We, unfortunately, hear cases of sexual violence being reported in schools across the region, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual assault and gender discrimination.
While it would be easiest to think that such cases are an abnormality and that misogyny and violence are a product only of the individuals who display these traits, we must acknowledge the role that society plays in shaping people’s ideologies. The systemic disadvantage that legal frameworks place on people with oppressed identities causes violence to be particularly exacerbated for those with intersecting identities, whose struggles cannot be represented solely by those of one group. This theory has been pioneered by activists such as Kimberlé Crenshaw and is essential to developing the inclusivity of feminism, which has historically focused on the experiences of women who were both white and middle-class.
Ms. Martin, a teacher and activist for initiatives at The Woodlands such as Truth and Reconciliation and Black History Month, participated in the ribbon campaign, helped create a display case, and ran a campaign at our school that observes this idea and ties it into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Crisis and the No More Stolen Sisters Campaign. Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than members of any other demographic in Canada, a tragic result of the lasting effects of colonialism, prevailing racist and sexist stereotypes, and government inaction.
To bring attention to this issue, Ms. Martin also wrote the following announcement, which was broadcast from December 6th to December 10th:
“...We reaffirm our commitment to fight the hatred that led to this tragedy as today falls within the 16 days of activism for gender-based violence…centring the voices of survivors in our actions and educating ourselves is the first step we can take as staff and students to help end this violence and collectively say: ‘No More Stolen Sisters.’”
A female student at The Woodlands concerned with gender-based violence agrees with the importance of education as the first step to activism, stating, “I did not know this was a thing until this year. [It’s] difficult to observe something you barely know about”.
Thus, the first step that Woodlands community members can take to continue to prevent or eliminate acts of gender-based violence past this week of remembrance, is to recognize a system where women are disadvantaged. As Ms. Martin has pointed out, “[We] also need to redefine what it means to be ‘a man’ - move away from toxic masculinity and embrace forms of masculinity that are not the dominant heteronormative form.”
Secondly, we should support the addition of this issue in our education. Ms. Martin added that, “[We need to] embed teaching this in our curriculum - not as a token lesson but as a continuous ongoing lesson…learning from Indigenous authors, writers and the calls to action from the inquiry on MMIW. In [my] class, we make connections in our learning to Marc Lepine and the saturated misogyny which is prevalent in the media.”
A more recent example of misogynistic media is the content of TikTok star Andrew Tate, who rose to global internet fame during the summer break of 2022. More recently, he was arrested in Romania and is being held on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking.
As we process bigger world stories, on a local level we need to discuss and speak out against gender-based violence using our newly learned vocabulary. An anonymous student provides some insight into this: “I think proper education on the ramifications, etymology and meanings of vocabulary pertaining to violence against any demographic group, including those of derogatory origin, is extremely important…since misuse of serious terms in less serious situations essentially cheapens and lessens the impact of words that should be serious.”
For those affected by gender-based violence, the Peel District School Board has provided a list of helpful community services you can connect to, as well as ConsentCulture, a recently launched website accessible by grade six to twelve students on the Peel BYOD site. The Woodlands’ administrative team has also responded by providing the Incident/Concern Disclosure Reporting Form - an online, confidential method of filing a report regarding any harmful incident.
Together, as a school community, we can work towards the dream of not only a mother but of fathers, siblings, educators, and friends: a world where gender-based violence doesn't exist. Wear a ribbon next year on December 6th to show your support! In the meantime, share awareness about and speak up against gender-based violence to help build a safer, more inclusive future for everyone.
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