As part of the 16 Days Campaign to Eliminate Violence Against Women, we asked our teen girls what they thought. Here is what these girls had to say:

Question A: What can you do to stop violence against girls and women?

Ciara of the 1^st Caledon East Rangers

I would say that the answer to how you can help stop the violence against women is a lot simpler than most would think. And that answer is you can do anything.

Often times I’ll have people ask me why I bother trying to make a difference in the world. Their common argument is that no matter how much I do, there will still be suffering in the world. I always tell them “You may not be able to help everyone, but you can help someone.” No, there is no quick fix for issues like violence against women. It takes time and people who care and are willing to do something, anything. If you help one person get out of a horrible situation, it may not be monumental to the world, but it will be monumental to that one person. The ways to help are endless, whether it’s organizing a fundraiser with your school or unit, volunteering through a women’s shelter, donating clothes, or so many other possibilities.

If we all work together to do our little bit, our something, our anything, we can build the whisper to a shout, and we can help someone, somewhere. And hopefully, eventually, we will stop all violence against women. Together.

Carly of the 1st Alberta Lone Rangers

To stop violence against women and girls, I could help to educate girls to the fact that they mean something in the world. Girls matter, the difference they make in the world is huge. Girl Empowerment is the next step to a bigger and brighter future.

Question B: Why is it important for Canadians to remember the 13 young women who were killed in the Montreal Massacre, December 6, 1989?

Ciara of the 1^st Caledon East Rangers

It’s important for Canadians to remember the 13 women killed in the Montreal Massacre because it demonstrates to us how violence against women is not a foreign occurrence. It happens in our country and our neighbourhoods, to the people we know and love. It also demonstrates how we should not give in to those who believe women shouldn’t be allowed to get an education or have the same rights as men. Those women should be remembered because all they were trying to do was be equal.

 Lorena, 1^st Rouge Valley Rangers

The massacre spurred many campaigns to end male violence. As the late feminist writer Andrea Dworkin said: “It is incumbent upon each of us to be the woman that Marc Lépine wanted to kill. We must live with this honour, this courage. We must drive out fear. We must hold on. We must create. We must resist.” We must remember what happened and take necessary actions to prevent it from happening again.