VIDEO about GenderIndigenousMediaPovertySexuality posted on March 9, 2011 by Tami Starlight

100th International Women's Day

200 people march down Commercial Drive in Vancouver on the 100th International Womens Day March on unceded coast salish territory/Vancouver. Women, men, girls, babies and all colours and creeds marched, danced, sang, yelled, handed out pamphlets and generally were having a good time.

The Vancouver march was in unison with marches and events across the world. From New Zealand to Ireland, and from Japan to Africa. Everyone marched for the equality of all women all over the world. 

*note - background spoken word (named - "reflections on growing up white & middle class") is from community activist, spoken word fabulous-o, acupunkturist and generally groovin' laday Lisa Baird http://www.luckygoat.org/ + http://www.pokecommunityacupuncture.ca/

100 years later, the measure of equality for half the worlds population still stinks greatly. The statistics are alarming and appalling.

See Unicef's world stats: http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/SOWC06_Table8.pdf

According to Battered Womens Support Services (located on Commercial Drive) 

See: 

http://www.bwss.org/resources/numbers-are-people-too/

Violence against Women – The Facts

According to the Statistics Canada:

• One-half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16 (1993).
• One in three Canadian women were victims of assault by a spouse or partner (1993).
• Four in ten Canadian women were victims of sexual assault (1993).
• Of all the provinces, the highest rate of violence was reported by women in B.C. (59%) (1993).
• 16% of all Canadian women (1.7 million) have been involved in at least one incident of sexual or physical assault by a date or boyfriend since the age of 16 (1993).
• Half of all women who reported an incident of dating violence were between the ages of 18-34 (1993).
• 24% of women 18 – 24 years had been sexually and/or physically assaulted by a date or boyfriend. This figure is 50 per cent higher than the national figure of 16 per cent (1993).
• In Canada, almost 75 women are murdered by their partner each year (2006).
• 98% of sex offenders are men and 82% of the survivors of these assaults are girls and women (1999).

The Statistics Canada Homicide in Canada 2000 reported that:

• Women were the victims in three of four spousal murders.

Police and Crime Summary Statistics for B.C. in 2000 indicate that

• 10,121 incidents of spousal assault were reported.
• 78.2% of the accused were males.
• 12.9% of the accused were females.
• 8.9% of reports involved both spouses assaulting each other.

According to the Canadian Crime Statistics, 2000 report:

• Male on female violence accounted for the majority (46.5%) of all violent crime in Canada.
• 37.8% was attributed to male on male violence.
• Female on female crime – where women were both the accused and the victim – accounted for 8.1% of the total.
• Female on male violence accounted for the lowest percentage of all violent crime in Canada at 7.6%.
• In 2000, according to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, globally at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime.
• Their counselling phone # is:  604-687-1867    The main website: http://www.bwss.org

"An injury to one - is an injury to everyone"  That all oppressions are linked together. Simply believing classism, gender inequality, or racism is all there is, well, they are the more obvious ones and are the tip of the oppressive iceberg ruining whole communities.

The idea that one person, is less of a person, than anyone else, is rooted deeply in our human experience all over the world. The change from this dark history begins within each of us and makes it's way outward to our immediate families, friends, communities, coworkers and everywhere. 

"Being the change that we wish to see in the world' are not just words to this media hack, Cree woman, activist and anti oppression idealist, within this "native land" colonized by the British Government.

I believe we all have a part in social justice and equality. ON THIS 100th INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY! (photo stills below)

All my relations/Namaste

Tami Starlight - VMC Editorial Collective & Femininja