The Campbell River and North Island Transition Society wants to colour the calendar purple.
The society is promoting the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
It begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25.
It ends on Dec. 10, which is International Human Rights Day.
The society wants to hear from businesses, schools, and groups interested in putting up purple ribbons and posters to show that their ‘actions matter’ in ending gender-based violence.
“We would love to see businesses in Campbell River as well as individuals supporting the campaign by bringing awareness to gender-based and ethnic violence in Campbell River (and the surrounding) area by putting out purple ribbons,” said Diane Palmer, the society’s public relations and financial development coordinator.
“I can supply the purple ribbons to the businesses, they just give me a call and let me know and they can put up a poster and a ribbon in support. And also they can change their signs outside their businesses to reflect that their actions matter.”
Palmer said there is still a lot of work to do in creating change in society: “Our transition house, if it’s any indication of the work that still needs to be done, it runs at almost full capacity all the time.”
The campaign is about increasing awareness about the disproportionate levels of violence faced by women and girls.
It also shines a light on violence against diverse populations, including Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2 community members, gender non-binary individuals, those living in northern, rural, and remote communities, people with disabilities, newcomers, children and youth, and seniors.
The 16 Days of Activism also include the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women on Dec. 6.
The society says that “this is a time to both reflect on violence against women and to take action to end it.”
This year’s theme, #MYActionsMatter, carries on the message from last year’s campaign and is a call to action that asks everyone to take concrete steps to question, call out, and speak up against acts of gender-based violence.
Palmer said the society wants to build on the awareness that it has created over the past three decades.
“Absolutely there’s headway being made. We founded the transition society here in Campbell River over 30 years ago and we’ve seen great strides being taken in awareness and elimination of domestic violence but we certainly have work to do, and that keeps us going and pursuing better ways to deal with that.”
The ribbons and posters should be available by the end of the week. For more information on how to get them, call the society at 250-287-7384.
