On December 6th 1989 at École Polytechnique, the School of Engineering at the University of Montréal an act of gender-cide was committed against female engineering students. This incident claimed the lives of fourteen female students and thirteen others were severely injured by a gunman who later committed suicide.
This Montreal massacre motivated a handful of men in Canada who decided that it was their responsibility to urge men to speak out on violence against women. Thus, The International White Ribbon Campaign, a male initiative to end violence against women, started in 1991.The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest initiative of men worldwide to work towards ending men's violence against women. Started by activists, such as Michael Kaufman and Jack Layton, the campaign now has an international presence in fifty two countries and is spreading at an increasing rate. This shows the interest of the world at large in gender issues supporting a campaign that focuses on women through male involvement. |
