Standing up against Violence towards Aboriginal Women and Children
On Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. a group of Aboriginal men will meet at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria to stand up for aboriginal women and children and to speak out against all forms of violence towards them.
This letter is both a call to action and an open invitation for our brothers, uncles, grandfathers, fathers, and sons to come together and build a province-wide campaign to end violence against aboriginal women and children.
Aboriginal women are three times more likely to experience domestic violence than non-aboriginal women, and three times more likely than non-aboriginal women to be killed by someone they know.
Too many of our wives, daughters, sisters, aunties, mothers, grandmothers are not safe in their own home. Too many have been murdered or are missing. It is time for us to change this.
This cycle of violence came from residential schools, racism against our peoples, and colonization. It was never in our culture to do violence to the women and children in our families and communities. It was always our responsibility to protect them.
Many efforts, projects, and strategies are now underway throughout the province to change this reality, but we can and need to do more. Silence is not good enough, and simply being a non-abuser is not good enough. We need to speak up and take action, and we need to support each other as aboriginal men.
The Gathering of Aboriginal Men—Standing up against Violence towards Aboriginal Women and Children, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 12: 30 p.m. at the Hotel Grand Pacific. At 1 pm we will hold a press conference on the front steps of the BC Legislature to speak out publicly against violence towards Aboriginal women and children, and to commit ourselves to action.
This invitation is being extended to aboriginal males of all ages in BC First Nations communities, Aboriginal Friendship Centres, colleges and universities, provincial and federal government offices, RCMP and municipal police forces, and other aboriginal organizations.
Please share this invitation and spread the word.
For further information, please contact Paul Lacerte at 250-388-5522 or e-mail at: placerte@bcaafc.com.
