Although the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence began in 1991, Coast organizations are still working on awareness about the campaign and the cause.
The annual event to build awareness and mobilize action to end gender-based violence begins with the UN International Day to End Violence Against Women on Nov. 25 and includes Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Dec. 6. The campaign ends Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day.
Sixty-seven per cent of Canadians know at least one woman who has experienced a form of gender-based violence, according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Statistics Canada data from 2019 shows a woman is killed by her partner approximately every six days in Canada. The Battered Women’s crisis line in B.C. reported a 400 per cent increase in calls during the first months of the pandemic.
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Sunshine Coast shared this data and need for awareness in a press release. It called for action from the federal government to implement community-based anti-violence strategies.
Many unions and labour councils hold or support vigils and events Dec. 6 to honour the 14 women murdered at Montreal’s École Polytechnique in 1989. The Sunshine Coast Labour Council (SCLC) is not yet resuming in-person events because of the pandemic but there will be virtual candlelight vigils across Canada.
At the start of the campaign, SCLC hosted the virtual Canadian Labour International Film Festival to celebrate working women’s achievements in the world and actions to end violence against women. On Dec. 7, the Canadian Labour Congress is hosting a free webinar. Find more information at the SCLC’s Facebook page.
Part of the push, SCLC president Miyuki Shinkai said, is to help reduce the stigma on women in need of help, and to create a safe and equal space for younger generations.
“We’re not going to see any results tomorrow but what we want to provide is education and awareness,” she said.
“At this time of year, a more personal action opportunity is in the giving of time and money,” CFUW Sunshine Coast president Michele Stobie said in the release. “Please consider the local initiatives which help abused women and their children: food banks, Salvation Army Kettle campaign, Sunshine Coast Community Services Projects and their Building Together Women’s housing project, local churches and service organizations such as Elves and Rotary Clubs.”
