An early memorial event will be available to the CNC community on Wednesday November 24th to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This event will take place to remember the victims of the Montreal Massacre of December 6th 1989. I ask you to become informed and take steps including advocacy and opportunities for discussion.
According to the United Nations, one in three women has experienced gender-based violence. The Government of British Columbia notes:
- Over half (55 per cent) of sexual assault victims in 2016 and 2017 were females under the age of 25;
- Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence that women experience; and
- Women in rural regions experience the highest overall rates of intimate partner violence.
In a Statistics Canada report from 2018, six in 10 Indigenous women reported being physically or sexually assaulted … a rate 50 per cent higher than non-Indigenous women.
CNC has a student sexual misconduct policy and procedures in place to provide support to survivors of sexual misconduct. I ask all students and employees to become familiar or re-familiarize themselves with the policy and supports available to them.
The CNC Faculty Association, the Northern Women's Centre, and UNBC's Inspiring Women Among Us are co-sponsoring a virtual memorial event for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Speakers will address the topics of violence against women, gender-based violence, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The event on Wednesday November 24th will take place from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at https://tinyurl.com/ce4rh6se. Thank you to those within the CNC community and partner organizations who are making this event possible.
You are welcome to learn more from the BC Government’s gender-based violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence website.
I also encourage you to learn more about International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Thursday November 25th, which will begin 16 days of activism to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world. Please visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/ending-violence-against-women-day
Thank you.