Wrapped in Courage - November

The Courage of a Woman is NOT Enough.

Now in its seventh year, shelters across the province are engaging the community to become more aware of the often overlooked issue of woman abuse in Ontario.

November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month. The purple scarf is a symbol of the courage it takes woman leave her abuser. However, the courage of the woman is not enough. It takes the strength of an entire community to end violence against women.

On average 20-30 women a year are murdered in the province of Ontario alone. It is the number two reason for calls to the emergency police services. Additionally, it overwhelmingly affects children in the areas of: focus at school; relationships with peers and adults; increased risk of participating in high risk behaviours such as substance abuse; and increased risk of anxiety and depression.

During the month of November, everyone across Ontario is invited to participate in showing abused women across the province that they have our support. The United Nations has designated November 25th (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) as the first of 16 days of Action to eliminate Violence Against Women across the world. We are asking Ontarians to wear our purple scarf or tie especially on these days to show your courage to abused women and their children that their community supports them and they are not alone.