VIU marks national day of remembrance and action on violence against women and girls

Students, staff and faculty at Vancouver Island University will participate in a moment of silence Monday, Dec.6 as part of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and Girls.

The day marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. VIU and many other college and universities across the country have observed this anniversary since its parliamentary inception in 1991.

The university, along with its labour groups and a coalition of Nanaimo organizations and advocacy groups, encourages staff, students and faculty to observe a moment of silence at 1:10 pm.

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives were suddenly ended, the VIU community is invited to pause and reflect on the women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence or live in fear of violence on a daily basis, and to consider what steps can be taken, as individuals and community members, to stop gender-based violence against women and girls.

In support of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and Girls, the Vancouver Island University Students’ Union will be holding a ‘Primal Scream’ in the Main Cafeteria at noon on Monday in order to raise awareness of the day and of the moment of silence to follow later that afternoon.

An information fair takes place in the main cafeteria at the Nanaimo campus from 11 am to 3 pm. A film screening of Polytechnique takes place in the theatre of Building 355 from 4 to 6 pm.

This will be followed by a gathering with speakers hosted by VIUSU in Building 355, Room 103 from 6 to 7 pm. Refreshments and an appetizer buffet will be provided.

Everyone is invited to gather for a candlelight procession in the lobby of Building 355 at 7 pm to Jardin des Quatorze, a campus garden near Building 460 that commemorates the slain women.

Organizers and sponsors of the event include VIU, VIUSU, Haven Society, Nanaimo Women's Resources Society, Nanaimo Coalition for Women's Advocacy, VIUFA’s Status of Women Committee, VIUFA’s Human Rights Committee, CUPE Local 1858, and the Department of First Nations Studies.=

For more information about the info fair and primal scream contact Lisa Wilson by email at aboriginal@viusu.ca, or for the film screening, buffet and candlelight vigil contact Allyson Anderson at Allyson.Anderson@viu.ca