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CFUW Kelowna marks The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and calls for mobilization and actions on the 16 days of Activism

Nov 25, 2020

CFUW Kelowna PO Box 21168, Orchard Park, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9N8


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CFUW Kelowna marks The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and calls for mobilization and actions on the 16 days of Activism

Kelowna BC 25 November 2020 – Today marks the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence that begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on December 10, the International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days campaign has been used as an organizing strategy around the world since 1991 to call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence. A number of significant dates are highlighted throughout the 16 days including the December 6 anniversary of the Montreal Massacre – where fourteen women were murdered at the École Polytechnique in 1989.
Violence against women (VAW) and gender-based violence (GBV) are widespread human rights violations that occur in all parts of the world. Violence against women is pervasive in Canadian society and presents a significant barrier to gender equality. This form of violence includes a broad spectrum of acts such as verbal, psychological, and physical harassment and coercion, domestic abuse, sexual assault and harassment, child marriage, torture, and/ or femicide.
According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, 67% of Canadians know at least one woman who has experienced a form of gender-based violence. In Canada, gender-based violence disproportionately impacts women, girls, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQI2S+ and non-binary individuals, racialized women, people living in northern, rural, and remote communities, people with disabilities, newcomers, youth, and seniors. This violence results from the deeply engrained gender inequalities and discrimination that shapes our laws, governance structures and collective and individual attitudes.
The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) actively monitors policies and programs that address violence against women in Canada. During the first month of the pandemic, nine women and girls were killed in Canada. Emerging data signals that the existing crisis of violence in Canada is likely to worsen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place across much of the country, victims of abuse have less access to support services such as shelters or sexual assault centres, less contact with networks of family and friends, and experience increased daily exposure with the very individuals that abuse them.
In light of the ongoing colonial violence against Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the culture of sexual harassment on Canadian campuses and in the workplace, and reports and testimonies from women and girls who were submitted to torture in the domestic sphere, the CFUW calls for concerted actions at all levels of government.
Canada does not have a national, comprehensive plan to address violence against women and gender-based violence. The absence of a National Action Plan means that policy responses and prevention measures to GBV are fragmented, unfocused, underfunded, and could ultimately impede safety rather than improve it. Women’s Shelters Canada’s 2015 Blueprint for Canada’s National Action Plan on Violence against Women provides a comprehensive framework upon which Canada’s plan should be modelled. Canada’s National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence is long overdue. The time for action is now.
.During the 16 Days of Activism campaign and beyond, our actions matter. Taking concrete action, however small or large, creates a ripple effect that can lead to the elimination of violence against women and girls in communities around the world. Here are some of the many actions you can take to raise awareness and generate action to end violence against women:
1. Spread the word about the 16 Days of Activism campaign: share informative posts on social media using the hashtags #16Days #OurActionsMatter #EndVAW
2. Speak up when you hear inappropriate or degrading jokes and language
3. Write a letter to your MP on the urgent need for a National Action Plan on Violence against Women & Gender-based Violence
4. Hang posters in your community with facts about violence against women and the number of your local helpline
5. Light a candle at 5:10PM on December 6 to commemorate the 14 victims of the Montreal Massacre. Say the victims’ names. Share your vigil on social media.

For more information on the 16 days campaign and violence against women, please consult CFUW’s 2020 toolkit for the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
About CFUW Kelowna:
CFUW Kelowna with more than 60 members is a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), a non-partisan, self-funded organization comprised of 97 CFUW Clubs, located in every province across Canada. Since its founding in 1919, CFUW has worked to improve the status of women, and to promote human rights, public education, social justice, and peace. CFUW, with its member Clubs, awards annually over $1M in scholarships, bursaries and fellowships to help women and girls pursue post-secondary education. We hold special consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and belong to the Education Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
For more information please contact:

Charlene Hodgson
President
CFUW Kelowna
[email protected]

Company Contact Information:

Company: Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)
Contact Name: Jeannette Mergens
Contact Phone: 250 763-4812
Contact Email: [email protected]
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