A message of support hung outside Haven Society in Nanaimo. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

shadow pandemic

16 Days of Activism campaign shining light on gendered violence during ongoing pandemic

Nov 28, 2020 | 7:48 AM

NANAIMO — Messages of support and education about available services are needed more than ever in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign kicked off on Nov. 25.

Toni Wheeler, executive director of Haven Society, told NanaimoNewsNOW women and families need to be aware of where they can turn to for help as the pandemic worsens.

“As isolation continues for our clients we know this could be a very dangerous situation for them. Now in the second wave we’re finding an alarming increase in incidents of violence against women.”

Wheeler said they refer to the rise of violence against women as the “shadow pandemic” which lurks in many homes but isn’t as visible as COVID-19.

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“Whenever there’s any stressors in our society that add pressure to the family, we see an increase of incidents in violence.”

Roughly 35 per cent of women globally experience sexual or physical assault but only 40 per cent of those affected reach out for support.

“It’s estimated in Canada in 2019 118 women or girls were killed by violence,” Wheeler said. “That’s in our community, that’s in Canada. On average, a woman or girl is killed by gender-based violence every three days in Canada. Those statistics are unacceptable.”

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign includes raising awareness and funds to offer women support.

Haven Society is taking part in a virtual discussion on Sunday, Nov. 29 called Silent No More.

“We’ve very honoured to be a part of the panel discussion which is going to take a dive into domestic violence in our community and take a look at the resources available,” Wheeler said.

A link to the Zoom discussion can be found on Haven Society’s social media page.

The Bastion in downtown Nanaimo and a building at VIU will be lit orange from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10 to honour the campaign.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt