Women's shelter executive director Natasha Carvalho speaks to a group of Hatters Friday evening at Medicine Hat College. The night marked National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.--NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
The Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society held a memorial Friday to honour victims of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre in Montreal.
Friday was the 30-year anniversary of the massacre where a male shooter entered the Quebec school and specifically targeted women on campus. Women’s shelter executive director Natasha Carvalho says it is an important event to remember.
“That was an anti-feminist attack 30 years ago,” she said. “We think it is important to recognize the day and to call out violence that is specifically targeted against women, especially today.”
The shelter was set up at the college all afternoon allowing students and any other visitors to learn about the massacre and to remember the victims.
“We have our tree here and people can create a card to help decorate it,” said Carvalho. “We had people fill up the tree with words of remembrance and thoughts for the victims.”
Carvalho says she lived in Montreal 30 years ago when the tragedy took place – now 30 years later, she says there is much work to be done on violence against women.
“Violence against women is still happening,” she said. “Call it misogyny, call it targeting women – the fact is it is still here and it is still a problem.
“Those of us who work in the field know that we have made progress, but we know there’s so much more to be done.”
The shelter wrapped up the night with a vigil at the college.
