The historical context of this day was an instance of misogyny which occurred at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 6 December 1989 and referred to as the Montreal Massacre. The massacre resulted when twenty-five-year-old Marc Lépine slaughtered 14 women because of his hatred toward women. Much of their work centres around gender violence prevention which includes educating and mentoring young men about issues such as violence and gender equality. Men and boys are encouraged to wear white ribbons as a symbol of their opposition to violence against women. They are particularly encouraged to wear these during White Ribbon week which starts on November the 25th which is the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.