On Wednesday, December 6 several local organizations will hold a vigil in Owen Sound as part of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.

In 1991, the Parliament of Canada established this day of remembrance and action on Violence against Women to mark the anniversary of the murders of 14 female engineering students at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989 in an act of gender-based violence.

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended because they were women, December 6 represents an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the ongoing violence against women in our communities and society in general. We are reminded by our daily news that violence continues to be a reality for many women and girls across Canada. Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. Every 6 days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner and on any given day, 4,476 women and 3,493 children are housed in shelters and transition houses across Canada. Also, women are at greater risk of experiencing elder abuse from a family member, accounting for 60% of senior survivors of family violence.

We also commemorate the missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, and work together with Sisters in Spirit, the national organization that raises awareness on the alarmingly high rates of violence against women and girls. The number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls is between 1200 and 4000 depending on which data collection we trust, and Aboriginal women are killed at six times the rate of non-aboriginal women.

This vigil will allow us as a community to come together and pause as we reflect on actions we all can take to make change towards ending violence against women and children.

The vigil will be held at 12 noon at the Scotiabank Parket on Second Avenue (beside the Scotiabank at 857 2nd Ave East)

source: media release