Aura Freedom Launches Relentless Resilience, a Multi-media Campaign Addressing the Impact of Gender-Based Violence on Canadian Society

TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2020 /CNW/ - Funded by the Government of Canada, Aura Freedom has launched Relentless Resilience, a bold multi-media awareness campaign based on a 155 page report of the same name published by Aura Freedom in February of 2020. Relentless Resilience will educate Canadians on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and demonstrate how it is affecting every single aspect of life in Canada - from housing and food security, to mental health and addiction, to education and the economy. 

Using facts, statistics and real-life stories from frontline workers, social workers and survivors, Relentless Resilience will work to; 

• Eradicate Gender-Based Violence
• Empower & Support Survivors
• Advance Equity
• Address the Prevalence of GBV among Marginalized Women & Communities
• Enlist Allies in the Fight Against GBV, including men
• Challenge Power Imbalances and Systemic Inequities
• Share Educational Material and Resources on a Campaign Microsite

Prior to COVID-19, and still today, there is no concrete National Action Plan for GBV in Canada. An educational awareness campaign like Relentless Resilience has become imperative as all levels of government are scrambling to address the increase of Domestic Violence during the pandemic.

"COVID-19 is new, but gender-based violence isn't", says Aura Freedom's Executive Director, Marissa Kokkoros. "The current global trend of increased gender-based violence during COVID-19 points to a dire need for long-term solutions that reach beyond this pandemic. Every day, domestic violence shelters see two women leave and another three show up. We must focus on prevention as much as we do frontline response". This campaign will provide people with knowledge, education, and resources for survivors. "We must work to advance equity to prevent future violence," says Marissa. 

When addressing the prevalence of GBV in Canada, the statistics speak for themselves;

• Every 3 days, a woman or girl in Canada is killed. Many of them, by their partners.
• Indigenous women are 12 TIMES more likely to be murdered than any other women in Canada.
• On any given night, 6,000 women and children sleep in shelters because it's not safe at home.

The campaign will also address how GBV disproportionately affects women, Indigenous women, racialized women, women living in rural areas, LGBTQS peoples, women living with disabilities, and other marginalized communities in Canada.

Follow the Relentless Resilience campaign @AuraFreedom on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, and the Relentless Resilience microsite at www.aurafreedom.org as we define and unpack different topics to end GBV for good.

ABOUT AURA FREEDOM:
FOUNDED IN 2013, AURA FREEDOM IS A GRASSROOTS INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST ORGANIZATION WORKING TO END GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING THROUGH ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION.

SOURCE Aura Freedom International