Women's March Global Saint John

When so many women are afraid to report violence, the system isn’t working for women. 2020 can be the end of an era of complacency. In 2021 we unite and claim our collective power. #16Days | #OrangeTheWorld

Thank you to Canadian Progress Club Ignite for donating a string of Purple Lights, purchased in support of Hestia House, to Coverdale. We've hung them in the shape of a purple ribbon - the awareness raising symbol for violence against women - in our front window.

Trigger Warning "A grown man looms behind my three-year-old daughter. Occasionally he will poke or tickle her and she responds by shrinking. Smaller and sma...ller with each unwanted advance. I imagine her trying to become slight enough to slip out of her booster seat and slide under the table. When my mother views this scene, she sees playful taunting. A grandfather engaging with his granddaughter. Mae. My tone cuts through the din of a familiar family gathering together. She does not look at me. Mae. I start again. You can tell him no Mae. If this isn’t okay you could say something like, Papa, please back upI would like some space for my body. As I say the words, my step-father, the bulldog, leans in a little closer, hovering just above her head. His tenebrous grin taunts me as my daughter accordions her 30-pound frame hoping to escape his tickles and hot breath. I repeat myself with a little more force. She finally peeks up at me. Mama . . . can you say it? Surprise. A three-year-old-girl doesn’t feel comfortable defending herself against a grown man. A man that has stated he loves and cares for her over and over again, and yet, stands here showing zero concern for her wishes about her own body. I ready myself for battle. Papa! Please back up! Mae would like some space for her body. My voice is firm but cheerful. He does not move. Papa. I should not have to ask you twice. Please back up. Mae is uncomfortable. Oh, relax, he says, ruffling her wispy blonde hair. The patriarchy stands, patronizing me in my own damn kitchen. We’re just playin’. His southern drawl does not charm me. No. You were playing. She was not. She’s made it clear that she would like some space, now please back up. I can play how I want with her. He says, straightening his posture. My chest tightens. The sun-bleached hairs on my arms stand at attention as this man, who has been my father figure for more than three decades, enters the battle ring. No. No, you cannot play however you want with her. It’s not okay to ‘have fun’ with someone who does not want to play. He opens his mouth to respond but my rage is palpable through my measured response. I wonder if my daughter can feel it. I hope she can. He retreats to the living room and my daughter stares up at me. Her eyes, a starburst of blue and hazel, shine with admiration for her mama. The dragon has been slayed (for now). My own mother is silent. She refuses to make eye contact with me. This is the same woman who shut me down when I told her about a sexual assault I had recently come to acknowledge. This is the same woman who was abducted by a carful of strangers as she walked home one night. She fought and screamed until they kicked her out. Speeding away, they ran over her ankle and left her with a lifetime of physical and emotional pain. This is the same woman who said nothing, who could say nothing as her boss and his friends sexually harassed her for years. This is the same woman who married one of those friends. When my mother views this scene, she sees her daughter overreacting. She sees me making a big deal out of nothing. Her concerns lie more in maintaining the status quo and cradling my step-dad’s toxic ego than in protecting the shrinking three-year-old in front of her. When I view this scene, I am both bolstered and dismayed. My own strength and refusal to keep quiet is the result of hundreds, probably thousands of years of women being mistreated, and their protests ignored. It is the result of watching my own mother suffer quietly at the hands of too many men. It is the result of my own mistreatment and my solemn vow to be part of ending this cycle. It would be so easy to see a little girl being taught that her wishes don’t matter. That her body is not her own. That even people she loves will mistreat and ignore her. And that all of this is okay in the name of other people, men, having fun. But. What I see instead is a little girl watching her mama. I see a little girl learning that her voice matters. That her wishes matter. I see a little girl learning that she is allowed and expected to say no. I see her learning that this is not okay. I hope my mom is learning something, too. November 21, 2018 Fighting the patriarchy one grandpa at a time. By Lisa Norgren Connect with her here: https://www.facebook.com/lisanorgrenwriter/ Photo: TheGuardian #SacredSistersFullMoonCircle #Spirituality #WomensWisdom #WomensEmpowerment #RedTent #SacredFeminine #Goddess #GoddessCircle #GoddessStudies #SacredMasculine #CyclicalLiving #WheeloftheYear #Mythology #Magic #Folklore #FolkTradition #BeautyTruthandLove #Feminism #Patriarchy

It has been over 30 years since the murder of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989. This act of violent misogyny shook our country and l...ed Parliament to designate December 6 as The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women. Our flags will be at half mast on Sunday as we remember: Geneviève Bergeron Hélène Colgan Nathalie Croteau Barbara Daigneault Anne-Marie Edward Maud Haviernick Maryse Laganière Maryse Leclair Anne-Marie Lemay Sonia Pelletier Michèle Richard Annie St-Arneault Annie Turcotte Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz As we mourn their loss and honour their memory, we reaffirm our commitment to fight the hatred that led to this tragedy, and the misogyny that still exists today. In Canada and around the world, women, girls, LGBTQ2 (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two spirit) and gender diverse individuals face unacceptable violence and discrimination. Gender-based violence in Canada has been magnified and amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been reports from police services, shelters and local organization of an increase in calls related to gender-based violence across Canada during the pandemic. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women is about remembering those who have experienced gender-based violence and those who we have lost to it; it is also a time to take action. Working together we can help prevent and address gender-based violence by remembering and learning from our past, listening to survivors, and speaking up against harmful behaviour.

"December 6th is the National Day of Rememberence & Action on Violence Against Women. Established in 1991, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 198...9 of 14 young woman at the I'Cole Polytechnique de Montreal. They died because they were women. As well as commemorating the 14 young women Whose lives ended in an act of gender based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the gender based violence in our society...It is a day Communities can consider concrete actions to eliminate violence against women and girls." Abuse is not your fault and it is never justified. We are always here to help! You are not alone! 634-7570 Can't call??? Text us at: 1-506-566-6667 #alightinthedarkness #hestiahouse