Transgender Day of Remembrance, UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, and National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Council Statement: Transgender Day of Remembrance, UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, and National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Today, we pause to remember individuals and communities affected by gender-based violence. The emergence of three distinct observances to collectively grieve and call for change is a critical reminder of the increasing prevalence of this violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed each year on November 20^th to acknowledge the people who have died as a result of acts of anti-trans violence.  The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women honours the memory of the 14 young women murdered at the Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989. Linking these two days are the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, from November 25^th to December 10. 

The threats of violence feel particularly close and prevalent this year:

• Incidents of femicide are increasing in Ontario at a rate of the death of one woman per week.
• The knife attack at the University of Waterloo brought into vivid focus the local hatred felt toward those who challenge traditional gender norms.
• The racist aggression towards a Muslim woman in a local Drive Test office surrounded by countless bystanders.
• The regularity of demonstrations that denounce the rights of members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
• The backlash against demands to search a Winnipeg landfill for the remains of three murdered women is one of many tragic examples of our society’s collective indifference to the vulnerability of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in this country.

There are glimmers of hope in the midst of these threats to life and safety:

• More than 45 Ontario municipalities, including Waterloo, have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.
• Communities across the country have rallied in support of 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
• Local organizations are working hard to provide places where women, girls, two-spirit, trans and gender-diverse people can find places of refuge when needed, as well as safe spaces in which they can work, study and play.

We know we must do more. Addressing the harm caused by centuries of patriarchy and colonialism will require collective systemic change – to improve our responses to violence and how our institutions operate as well as an unlearning of biases and long-held beliefs.

As a City, we re-commit ourselves to taking concrete steps toward stamping out gender-based violence in all its forms.  We further commit to acting and speaking with boldness and conviction to create a safer community for women, girls, two-spirit, trans and gender-diverse people.