The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

November 25 – December 10

November 25 - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, and December 10 – International Human Rights Day – is the final day.  This 16 days of activism is recognized internationally.

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

December 6

December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also an opportunity to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. And finally, it is a day on which communities can consider concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

16 Days: 16 Things You Should Know about Gender Violence

November 25 to December 10 Status of Women Canada is pleased to provide you with information on violence against women and girls. This material describes the many forms of gender-based violence as well as its very serious impacts on individual lives, on families, and on our society.

December 10^th is Human Rights Day

30^th Anniversary: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Violence Affects All Women

Engaging Men and Boys in the Discussion

Statement from the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, on December 6, 2011.

International Day of the Girl

Violence Affects Senior Women

Government of Canada Empowers Aboriginal and Immigrant Women in British Columbia

Preventing Sexual Abuse: Educating Girls and Young Women

Community Resources: Second-Stage Services

Women's Program Funding on Violence Against Women

The Many Faces of Violence

Engaging Young People to Prevent Violence against Women on Post-Secondary Campuses

New campaign to break the silence on violence against women

Violence Affects Immigrant Women

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Poster

To assist you in organizing an activity to mark this special day, Status of Women Canada (SWC) has developed the following poster:

Poster

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Facts

Violence against women and girls affects us all. It destroys lives and weakens the fabric of our society. As a population, it takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy.

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”

The most common forms are:

• physical violence, ranging from slapping and hitting to assault and murder
• emotional or psychological violence involving systematic undermining of an individual's self-confidence, intimidation and verbal abuse
• sexual violence, which encompasses all non-consensual or coerced sexual activity including incest and rape
• financial violence, involving partial or total loss of control of one's finances
• neglect, involving deliberate denial of human rights and the necessities of life.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: The Numbers

• Women and girls are more likely than men to experience violence and assault in intimate and family relationships.
• According to the 2009 General Social Survey, women report experiencing more serious forms of spousal violence and are more likely to incur injuries than men.
• According to the 2009/2010 Transition Home Survey, between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, admissions of women to Canada's shelters for abused women exceeded 64,000. Since 1998, annual shelter admissions for women have been relatively stable. ¹
• Young women experience the highest rates of family violence.

Aboriginal Women ²

• Aboriginal women are almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being the victim of a violent crime, including spousal violence.
• In 2009, close to two-thirds of Aboriginal female victims were aged 15 to 34. This age group accounted for just under half of the total female Aboriginal population over age 15 living in the 10 provinces.
• Among victims of spousal violence, six in 10 Aboriginal women reported being injured in the five years preceding the survey; the proportion was four in 10 among non-Aboriginal women.
• Over three-quarters of non-spousal incidents of violence against Aboriginal women are not reported to police.

Dating Violence ³

• In 2008, eight out of 10 victims of police-reported dating violence were female. This difference narrows with age, however: whereas female victims aged 15 to 19 outnumbered male victims by nearly 10 to one, the numbers for female and male victims aged 55 and over were nearly equal.
• Incidents involving female victims were more likely to result in police charges than those involving male victims, particularly among those aged 15 to 19.
• Approximately 10% of male victims and 1% of female victims of dating violence were involved in same-sex relationships.
• In 2009, the self-reported sexual assault victimization rate for females was twice that of men. Of sexual assaults reported in the General Social Survey, 70% involved female victims. ⁴

Senior Women ⁵

• Although senior men experience a higher rate of violent victimization than senior women, family-related violent victimization is higher among senior women.
• Senior women tend to be victimized by a spouse or grown child; senior men tend to be victimized by an acquaintance or a stranger.
• Among victims of family-related homicide, senior women were most likely to be killed by their spouse (41%) or son (36%), while the majority of senior men were killed by their son (72%).

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