Somalis Stage Anti-Ethiopian Protests Nicole Burton, OP News Editor Last week, thousands of angry Somalis were counted among the protests in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu, who took to the streets in opposition to the presence of Ethiopian troops who invaded their country in the first week of the New Year. At least one protester was killed by Ethiopian soldiers, who fired on demonstrators as they chanted, “Down with Ethiopia!” Official spokespeople for the Ethiopian government as well as Somalia’s own weak interim government have said that the presence of Ethiopian troops is to control and drive out key figures within the Union of Islamic Courts. The invasion against what many news agencies are simply referring to as “the Islamists” is considered to be part of the continuing international effort known as the “War on Terror,” spearhead- ed by the United States. “I can hear sporadic shooting,” one Mogadishu resident was quoted as saying, “People are demonstrating against the presence of Ethiopian troops as well as the government’s deci- sion to disarm them by force.” The interim government in Mogadishu gave its residents a three-day deadline, until Thursday of last week, to hand in their weapons or be disarmed by force. “There is a big demonstration, people are burning tires, the whole of K4 area has been engulfed by smoke,” said one resi- dent last week, who declined to be named, referring to the central area of Mogadishu. Despite the deadline, few weapons have been handed in. The Ethiopian invasion of Somalia has been fully approved and supported by Washington, and the US, France, the UN, and other western countries are currently preparing for intervention across the continent. With escalated military intervention on the horizon for many parts of Africa, anti- occupation protests have flared up in countries like Somalia and Sudan over the past 6 months. 4 THE OTHER PRESS JANUARY 15 2007 “For the First Time in 100 Years, We’re Moving Backwards” Budget cuts put women in jeopardy, groups say Laura Roy, Nexus, Camosun College VICTORIA (CUP)—Even though it was 17 years ago, Carolyn Fast remembers when 14 women were murdered at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. “T well remember the events of December 6 and always reflect on the shock that I experienced as a result of that day,” says Fast, executive director of the Victoria Women’s Transition House. “Although I was certainly aware of domestic violence, I simply could not believe that someone could take such action against a group of women in this way. It was a cruel awaken- ing for many in our country.” On this day, Canadians are asked to take a moment to remember all women who have been victims of abuse, those who have survived to share their stories, and those who have not. “We have an opportunity to remember those women, to honour them, and to move forward for change because of their experiences. We learn from our experiences and the sto- ries of others and this may give us an opportunity to create real change in our society,’ Fast says. Many women currently in abusive situations have reasons they are unable to leave, such as religious and cultural beliefs and the fear of retribution from the abuser. Student Dani Monaghan feels the need to appear inde- pendent may be another reason. “T think women today feel that they should know better, so when they find themselves in an abusive partnership they may be too embarrassed to seek help,’ Monaghan says. A recent report produced by the National Working Group on Women and Housing found the persistent prob- lem of women’s inequality i Canada has been a major factor in situations where women are vulnerable to sexual and phys- ical abuse. Barbara’ Legault, feminist organizer for the Status of Women Action Group, says any progress made to equalize the economic differences between men and women is now i jeopardy because of recent cuts made by the federal Conservative party. “To eradicate violence against women, we need a compre hensive Canadian strategy which aims to attain equality between women and men,” says Legault. “Yet the recent cutbacks and modifications to Status of Women Canada’s funding, mission, and programs reinforce the factors which drive and perpetuate violence against women.” Status of Women Canada, a government agency that pro motes gender equality and the full participation of women i all areas of Canadian society, has had an operations budget cut of 40 per cent. These changes also include the rejection of pay equity legislation, despite the fact that even women with post-sec- ondary degrees struggle to earn 70 per cent of what their male counterparts are currently paid. The government has also cancelled the Court Challenges Program of Canada, a national non-profit organization that provides financial assistance for court cases that advance equality rights under the Constitution. “Only by addressing the deep roots of violence against women—namely a patriarchal system of oppression, eco- nomic inequality between men and women, and sexism—ca we end it,” Legault says. “The Harper government is drawing a deeper divide between women and the equality we’ve been fighting for. Fo the first time in 100 years, we’re moving backwards. “This is not only an attack on women and women’s groups,” Legault says. “It’s an attack on equality as a basic human right in Canada.”