City of Vancouver Joins We Can Media Release

November 20, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rick Craig   
604-660-3191; Rick.Craig(at)JusticeEducation.ca   

City of Vancouver Joins Campaign to End Violence Against Women

Vancouver, BC – Yesterday the City of Vancouver joined We Can in its movement to end violence against women.

The motion to “endorse the We Can Coalition and its ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence’ campaign” was unanimously passed. The motion was requested by the city’s Women’s Advisory Committee and moved by Councillor Ellen Woodsworth.

We Can End All Violence against Women is an international campaign changing customs and attitudes that perpetuate violence against women by mobilizing local organizations and individuals. We Can BC is organizing a number of events for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in British Columbia.

“The momentum created by this endorsement will fuel We Can BC during a very important time of the year,” said Rick Craig, executive director of the Justice Education Society, a coalition partner of the campaign. “Next week we will be joining tens of thousands of activists worldwide in a united movement for women’s rights.”

The 16-day period begins on November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and ends on December 10, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights.

We Can BC will be launching the period locally on November 25 from 10:30am-11:30am at the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch. A candlelight vigil will also be held on December 10 from 5:00pm-6:00pm at Burnaby Civic Square by Metrotown Library.

Earlier this year, the City of Vancouver proclaimed the week of April 19-26 as Prevention of Violence Against Women Week.

About We Can
We Can is a multi-year, international initiative that was launched in 2004 in South Asia. The BC Campaign was launched in June 2007 and is recruiting 105,711 British Columbians to become Change Makers. Each Change Maker will represent one of the 105,711 Canadian women and children who are forced to enter shelters to escape violence each year.

We Can BC is an alliance of BC-based organizations and individuals from diverse communities who are committed to a long-term and sustained process of changing customs and attitudes that perpetuate violence against women.

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For interviews and more information, please contact:
Rick Craig at 604-660-3191 or Rick.Craig(@)JusticeEducation.ca