It is estimated that one in three women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence during her lifetime.
This staggering United Nations statistic sparked a call to action on Valentine’s Day four years ago with One Billion Rising: a campaign that calls attention to violence against women, and asks both men and women to rise in defiance of it.
Since 2012 millions of activists have supported the event, and on Friday, local community members will have the chance to join their ranks by attending a One Billion Rising Revolution rally hosted in Delta.
“Violence in relationships is a huge issue. A report in the United Kingdom found that only 13 per cent of domestic violence cases are reported to police. This event is aimed at raising awareness and educating the community so that together, we can locally start changing the global culture around violence against women and violence in relationships,” said Dr. Balbir Gurm, a nursing instructor at KPU, and facilitator of the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships (NEVR) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU).
The NEVR campaign collaborates with community stakeholders, decision makers and partners to elimate relationship violence in Lower Mainland communities. The organization will be hosting family members and individuals affected by violence at the event this Friday, Feb. 12 from 1-3 p.m. at the Firehall Centre for the Arts (11489 84th Ave.).
Representatives from all levels of government, media personalities and many others will be on hand to show their support and speak out on violence against women.
“Underreporting domestic violence is such a big problem. We believe if enough community members come out and say that this is not okay, more women will seek help and we can work toward changing our community culture. We hope this event can build a stronger community that will support these women and give them the courage to stand up,” added Gurm.
The event is free and open to anyone who wishes to join. Guests are asked to arrive at 12:30 p.m. as the event will begin promptly at 1 p.m. Light refreshments and food will be served, and there will be an opportunity to visit various information booths after the event. Hosting the event are: NEVR, KPU, the Delta Police and the Corporation of Delta.
More information and event registration is available here.
