CREDIT: KERRA SEAY
A simple way to inform students about the reality of violence against women, this Chalk Walk showed Fanshawe students the reality of violence against women in Canada.

Violence against women is a serious issue in Canada, where one in four women will be abused by an intimate partner in her lifetime. Fanshawe is doing its part to raise awareness and to support initiatives around London that are battling the myths and stigmas surrounding this serious issue.

Leah Marshall, the sexual violence prevention advisor at Fanshawe, said partnering with organizations in London was important because of the services they provide to students. When she heard about the idea for the Shine the Light campaign Marshall said she knew it was something she had to bring to campus.

“The event is about shining light on women’s abuse, and that we stand in solidarity with them and that they are not to blame, that the perpetrators are the ones to blame,” Marshall said.

The Shine the Light campaign uses the colour purple, a colour that represents courage, survival and honour, to turn cities purple by literally changing light bulbs to purple and by wearing purple clothing to show solidarity towards survivors of violence. The campaign runs for the entire month of November.

Shine the Light features two Canadian women who have become the faces of the London Abused Women’s Centre (LAWC) campaign.

The first woman, Lenka Kriz, is a survivor of abuse. A Londoner herself, Kriz said she found support from LAWC in order to escape her abusive relationship. Her story is written on the back of awareness cards and posters released by the centre.

“Before I found the London Abused Women’s Centre I was scared, broken and unsure of every step I took,” Kriz said. “Today, after many years of healing, I have found my voice and the confidence to take on any challenge in life.”

One goal of the Shine the Light campaign is to reduce the stigma targeted towards victims of violence and to create an atmosphere where victims do not feel ashamed to come forward and get help. Marshall said that Kriz putting her face on this campaign is powerful and brave.

Kriz’ story is about hope and survival, but unfortunately the other story featured by the centre does not have the same resolution.

Jessie Foster is a 29-year-old woman from Calgary who was sold into the sex trade industry by someone she considered a friend. Foster’s mother Glendene Grant wrote in a blog that the last contact she had with her daughter was over seven years ago.

“We miss her every single day,” Grant wrote on the LAWC pamphlet that shares her daughter’s story.

Unfortunately Kriz and Foster are not alone in their struggles. According to Statistics Canada every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner.

Shining the light on violence against women is especially important to discuss on campus since women between the ages of 18 to 24 are the most at risk for experiencing violence according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Women in this age group make up for 66 per cent of all sexual assaults.

Marshall decided to take the Shine the Light campaign a step further at Fanshawe. Instead of only utilizing posters to spread the message, she also implemented a Chalk Walk. Marshall wrote out statistics surrounding sexual violence on busy sidewalks around campus to illustrate the reality of violence against women in Canada.

“These are things that we need to have a conversation about, it’s not just about things being purple, it’s about the meaning behind it,” Marshall said. “Women are powerful, so let’s talk about how we can end gender- based violence.”

She said it was great to finish writing out everything and then to see students actually take a moment to stop and read the statistics.

“That’s really powerful too because instead of asking people to come to us to provide information we’re bringing it to them.”

Wearing purple for one day or changing your bulb may not seem like much, but Marshall said these are just small steps towards a much larger goal, which is to create a world that is free of sexual violence.

“I think that each thing we do… we’re showing real commitment to having these conversations and saying ‘we’re not going to stop talking about sexual violence or gender-based violence,” Marshall said. “Every time we do something like this and students get involved or they engage with this type of material we raise awareness and we move towards our goal.”

One goal of the Shine the Light campaign is to reduce the stigma targeted towards victims of violence and to create an atmosphere where victims do not feel ashamed to come forward and get help.

As a part of her continued effort to raise awareness about sexual violence in Canada, Marshall will be hosting an event called “Sex Drugs and Rocky Road” on Nov. 17.

Marshall said she hopes that Fanshawe students and staff keep the message of Shine the Light with them even once November is over and to make an effort to support survivors of sexual violence.

“The main thing that we just want everyone to know is that we’re standing in solidarity with women that have experienced violence and that these women are not to blame,” Marshall said. “That’s where the purple comes in, the courage and solidarity and hope that people are aware that this is an issue and that we need to pay attention to it.”

Leah Marshall can be reached at Counselling and Accessibility Services in F2010 or by calling 519- 452-4282. The Sexual Assault Centre London can be reached at 519-439-0844 or the London Abused Women’s Centre at 519-432-2204.