The lead editorial from The Province of Thursday 27 September:

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BY MEN, IS EPIDEMIC.

Some  people  --  men  and women alike -- have difficulty hearing this
statement.  But ask yourself: If you are afraid to go into a  park  at
night, who  is  it  you fear?  If you worry when your teenage daughter
goes jogging alone at dawn, who worries you?

Once upon a time, the victims of male violence in Canadian cities were
more likely to be other men.  No longer.

This year, one in 10 women  will  be  physically  assaulted  by  their
husband or boyfriend.  One in four girls and one in eight boys will be
sexually assaulted by someone they know.  Ten per cent of all Canadian
women will be _regularly_ battered by the men with whom they live.

In  Canada, an act of violence occurs against women every six minutes.
Seventy-five per cent of all assaults occur in the home.   Ninety  per
cent of  working  women  will be sexually harassed on the job.  In the
Montreal area _last month alone_, 10 women and six of  their  children
were killed.

Let us begin by acknowledging this problem.

Then,  let's  provide women and children with the resources to protect
themselves, to escape violent situations and gain just  recourse  when
wrong has been done.

Let  governments  commit  more resources to the provision of shelters,
transition  houses,   child-care   options   and   affordable   family
counselling.

Let  educators help people to understand and cope with collapsing role
models and rapidly evolving family structures.  Let us teach those  in
the legal system the realities of domestic violence.

Let employers  do  their bit as well.  They can take a public stand --
like Shoppers Drug Mart, which has just launched a $200,000  Blow  the
Whistle  on  Violence  campaign -- or, short of that, they can provide
effective sanctions against sexual harassment,  and  company-sponsored
assistance for families in distress.

Together,  we  must  raise the profile of this issue, empower the weak
and protect the vulnerable.