Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
This day was declared by the federal government after the massacre of 14 women at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique in 1989…
A special remembrance ceremony is planned for tonight at Riverview’s Caseley Park.
It will get underway at 630, and the public is welcome to attend.
Meantime, A statement from the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, on this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
They say this is an opportunity to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society…..while considering concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
In their statement, it says, it is estimated half of all Canadian women will experience at least one incident of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. On any given day, over 3000 women, along with their 2500 children, are staying in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence.
In New Brunswick rates of intimate partner violence are higher than the national average.
According to the NBFL, workplaces are also negatively impacted, with employers losing $77.9 million annually as a result of domestic violence, and 1 in 10 women between the ages of 18 to 24 report having experienced sexual harassment at work within the past year.
