On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the start of #16Days of Activism, please take a moment to watch this important video message from SEIU Healthcare Executive Vice-President Mina Amrith.
“Every year from November 25 to December 6, we pause as a nation to remember the 16 young engineering females who lost their lives to violence perpetrated against women. This was not the first, nor was it the last, but every incident is one too many. Over the past 20 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an uprise in domestic violence against women. Women are suffering not only in their homes but in their workplaces and communities. Now more than ever, we need to stand in solidarity against the abuse these women are facing every day. We call on everyone to step up and be our allies instead of being our oppressors. Together, we can make not only our workplaces and communities safer, but we can make our homes safer. Let’s all pledge to do our part in the eradication of violence against women.”
– Gloria Turney, SEIU Healthcare Executive Board, Women’s Seat
To learn more, and take action, we encourage everyone to:
- Write a letter to the new Minister of Labour demanding action from the government to end gender-based violence through the ratification of C-190: https://donewaiting.canadianlabour.ca/ratify-c190/
- Join the Canadian Labour Congress on December 7th for a virtual webinar “Hearing From Workers: Why Canada Needs to Ratify C-190” to learn about the impacts of gender-based harassment and violence on Canadian workers, and how C-190 can help address gender based violence and harassment.
- Share your own messages and advocacy work using the hashtag #16Days and #DoneWaiting, as well as with us here: communications@localhost
Here are two very important resources you can access if needed:
- The Assaulted Women’s Helpline – https://awhl.org
- The United Way – Dial 211