It is more dangerous to be a woman than a man in Canada today.

The most recent survey of violent victimization in the country found that women are now more likely to be victims of violent crime than are men. And the reason is this: while most violent crime has declined over the past decade in Canada, one violent crime has not: sexual assault. Because women make up the majority of victims of sexual assault (87 per cent), they are not sharing in the benefits of declining crime rates.

Every December 6, we remember the women who lost their lives in the brutal and targeted attack at École Polytechnique. We say their names aloud. We remember, so that the violence will not be repeated.

Have we learned from the past?

November 25, the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. December 10, International Human Rights Day, marks the end of this international campaign.

Despite notable advances in addressing violence against women, a culture of gender-based violence remains pervasive in North America and throughout the world. The recent U.S. election campaign exposed this violence and blatant misogyny both in political discourse and in the behaviour and response of the electorate.