Seven hundred pairs of women’s shoes lined the stairs outside the Vancouver Art Gallery yesterday to commemorate some 850 women killed by men over the past two decades in British Columbia.
The ninth annual shoe memorial, which originated as a way to remember women killed in abusive relationships, coincides with the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.
“The memorial allows us to remember,” said Pat Kelln of We Can B.C, a campaign to end violence against women. “It isn’t about me, it’s about them. We want to focus on the women who are no longer here because they were women.”
Statistics Canada reports that 653,000 women across Canada claimed to be victims of spousal abuse in 2005.
Despite the numbers, Kelln says violence against women has taken a back seat to issues such as public safety.
“How often do you go walking on the street at night? Why are we told to hide our purses and not walk in certain areas?” she said.
“Why are women changing their behaviour because of criminal action? Just because we’re women?”
Yesterday also marked the 22nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. In 1989, Marc Lepine killed 14 female students before turning the gun on himself.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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