Vigil for victims of massacre
Yellowknifers gather to remember victims of Montreal Massacre, speak out against persistence of violence against women
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 11, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Several dozen men and women gathered to remember the women who have been victims of violence at a vigil held at the Salvation Army on Dec. 6.
The vigil marks the 24th anniversary of the 1989 Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed by Marc Lepine, in an act of gender-based violence, simply because they were women.
Sophie Thrasher attended the vigil on Friday because she has been a victim of violence her whole life. She said it was important for her to come and talk about her experiences.
"We are quiet because we are scared," she said. "We need you guys to speak up for us."
Thrasher, originally from Inuvik, said she was regularly subjected to domestic violence by her husband. In 1999, she moved to Yellowknife with her children to get away from her abusive relationship.
"I will never go back to him," she said.
While she was able to find a job at Stanton Territorial hospital, Thrasher struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, and she soon found herself living on the streets, which exposed her to more violence.
"There are ladies that sleep in the hallway and they get raped ... and they get beaten up," she said. "You should see my friend. This morning her face was all covered in bruises."
Thrasher described one act of random violence in which a man in plain clothes posing as an RCMP officer took advantage of her.
"I've been through this already," said an emotional Thrasher as she pointed to an old scar on her lip.
"It's just got to stop," she said.
During the vigil, the 14 victims of the 1989 shooting were remembered, with a ceremony where 14 women placed a red rose in a vase symbolizing each women who was killed.
A single white rose represented all the aboriginal women who have gone missing or have been killed over the years.
Following the ceremony, Sandra Lockhart gave a speech in which she invoked the pity of having to hold a day to remember the women who have been victims of violence.
"It think it's very pitiful that we have to have a national event every year to bring this forward to the public," she said,
Lockhart continued to repeat the term as she called for a national public inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women.
"It really is pitiful that I can't stand here and name all the aboriginal women in the North or across Canada that have been murdered or are missing. It's pitiful that Canada and our prime minister have not got up to apologize for that. It's pitiful that women in this room are living through some form of violence today. It's pitiful that we're going to bury somebody this month, next month or even a few weeks from now because of violence."
It was not just a day of mourning, however. Dec. 6 also marked the launch of the Canadian Labour Congress' national survey on the impact of domestic violence on women and workplaces.
Lyda Fuller, executive director of the Yellowknife YWCA, said a recent study conducted by Justice Canada, revealed that employers lose $77.9 million annually as a result of domestic violence.
"The cost both financial and personal can go far beyond that," she said.
The survey can be filled out online until June 6, 2014, and is open to any worker over the age of 15, regardless of whether they have personally experienced or witnessed domestic violence.
Fuller said the survey is completed anonymously and takes between 10 and 30 minutes to complete.
