Walking to end the violence against women

Saskatoon - Almost 300 people marched through downtown Saskatoon Sept. 27 in support of ending violence against women.

The marchers were taking part in the annual Take Back the Night march. The theme of this year’s march was “Shattering the Silence” and encouraged participants to stand in solidarity with marginalized groups who faced greater risk of violence, including first nations peoples, the disabled and rural women.

Gertrude Rompre, a campus minister at St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon, said the social issues the walk brings attention to are important for Catholics since they’re rooted in the Catholic faith.

“We have a God who hears the cry of the poor, a God who cares for those who are voiceless,” she said. “(Take Back the Night) is all about giving a voice to those who are unheard: those who are missing, those who are impoverished and those who have no voice for whatever reason.

“It’s intolerable for us as Catholics to accept the level of violence, to accept marginalization, to accept the level of poverty that exists in our communities.”

Participant Xochitl Hanson-Pastran, a peer mentor for the Service and Justice Project at St. Thomas More, said it was her eighth time attending the march. Hanson-Pastran said it is important that people understand the issues.

“This is a real issue… This is going on and it can happen to anyone,” she said. “It’s always positive to see so many people in support of one cause.”

During the march, participants are encouraged to hold posters and candles and take part in chants affirming the night’s message, as well as hearing speakers talk on violence against women.

Laura Hopkins, one of the organizers, considered the night a success.

“(But) even if we hadn’t had so many people, it would have been just as successful,” said Hopkins.

“There’s always somebody who’s coming to one of these for the first time, or even people who repeatedly come, they’re learning something new,” she said. “They’re getting impassioned about a particular issue that they may not have known before.”

(Liska, 22, is an English major at the University of Saskatchewan.)