It was 25 years ago yesterday that 14 women in Canada were targeted and killed because they were women, because they were smart, strong and capable women entering a male-dominated field. Reading through the various tributes honouring these women over the last couple of days has left me sad and overwhelmed. But we need to remember these women, their names and their faces and the futures they could have had.

It is important that we acknowledge that the threat of violence is something all women live with. Women are raped and killed every day because of misogyny. And it is also important that we recognize that this threat is greater in some communities than in others, including Aboriginal communities in Canada. A recent RCMP report tells us that since 1980, there have been 1,200 cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada, and that Aboriginal women and girls are about five times more likely to be murdered than non-Aboriginal women and girls. I think about these women and girls, about their names and faces, and again I feel sad and overwhelmed. But I also feel angry, and in this I am not alone.

As we remember the mass murder of 14 women in Canada 25 years ago, and as we think about our missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, let us remind ourselves that violence exists in our communities not just because of violent perpetrators. Violence exists in our communities because as a society we tolerate it. We all need to take responsibility for that.

Over the weekend the Globe and Mail published The Globe 100: the best books of 2014, and I was thrilled to see that One Hour in Paris made the list. They called the book “vital reading for addressing the aftermath of sexual violence and challenging rape culture.”