My name is Linley McLean, and I am the Executive Director at the Golden Women’s Resource Centre.
I have been working at the Golden Women’s Resource Centre since 2009. I have learned so much in my time with this organization. I have met so many women, fellow community members, who are experiencing abuse within their relationships. Women who are simultaneously frightened and exhausted, but striving with great courage towards something safer. Something better. I have met so many women, fellow community members, that are struggling with sexism in the work place. That are dealing with sexual assault, harassment, stalking. And, perhaps hardest of all, because of the work I do, women who are close to me have shared their own experiences with these things.
Violence against women is ongoing. The longer I do this work, the more I think to myself “of course”. The society we live in, these systems we operate within, have deep roots in patriarchy, misogyny, and colonialism. Our perspectives, our behaviour, and what we accept as “human nature” are all shaped by these systems. So while we may not directly be the ones enacting violence against women… we are a part of it as it is deeply woven into the fabric of our society.
I have seen this in the legal system, the burden of proof on women to prove that they were sexually assaulted, or how time and time again courts ignore the abuse of a mother when making decision surrounding children. The criminal system, and the statement “it’s his word against hers”. Popular media and the objectification of women, the glorification of violence. These unbalanced gender roles that my friends and I see ourselves slipping into within our relationships… despite our feminist efforts. The underlying tones and comments among friends and family – she shouldn’t have been there, she was leading him on, she just needs to leave him, she provoked him, it’s best not to get involved.
Of course.
I don’t say all of this to burden you. I know that things are heavy right now. It’s a dark time of year. We are bombarded with crisis – multiple wars, the environment, the economy, the cost of living, homelessness. It’s exhausting.
I share this because there are things we can do to address violence against women when we realize it’s more than simply not being violent towards women. When we realize it has to do with what we notice, what we allow, what we speak up about, even simply recognizing that violence against women is not just an issue between two individuals, it’s a social issue.
I would like to encourage everyone here to visit the Golden Women’s Resource Centre’s Facebook page or to take a look at our window display. There are tangible things that we can do. It will require awareness, and action. But if I’ve learned anything from the women I’ve worked with, it’s that with great courage, we can move towards something safer. Something better.
If you’re interested in more stories like this, check out our local community stories here.
