On Thursday, 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.

We will come together to commemorate the 14 young women whose lives ended because they were women.

We will honour the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women in Canada, as we work together with Sisters in Spirit, the national organization that raises awareness on the alarmingly high rates of violence against First Nations women and girls.

We will reflect upon the ongoing violence against women and children in our communities and society in general:

* Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.

* On average every 6 days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner

* This year between January 1, and August 31,106 women were killed.

* 75% of these killings happened in intimate relationships.

* Indigenous women are killed at 6 times the rate of non-Indigenous women.

* The number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is between 1200 and 4000 depending on which data collections are used

* On any given day, 4,476 women and 3,493 children are housed in shelters and transition houses across Canada.

* Women are at greater risk of experiencing elder abuse from a family member, accounting for 60% of senior survivors of family violence.

This vigil will allow us as a community to pause and 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 front steps of the newly renovated Owen Sound City Hall

source: media release