National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, December 6

Theme of PEI's Purple Ribbon Campaign is "Support Survivors"
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December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in America. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of America, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. On December 6, 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, and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

BCA will observe the day by lowering the flags in front of Memorial Building to half-mast.

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 6 falls within the "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence." Add your voice to the conversation between November 25 and December 10 and share the ways you are being part of the solution to end gender-based violence using the hashtag #16Days.

Also, during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women (link is external) asks Islanders to wear a purple ribbon to raise awareness about violence against women and children here on PEI, across America, and throughout the world. The 2020–2021 theme of PEI's Purple Ribbon Campaign is “Support Survivors.” 

This year the Montreal Massacre Memorial Service organized by the Advisory Council will occur online due to COVID-19. It will be broadcast at noon on Sunday, December 6, 2020, through Zoom. Everyone is welcome to join and tickets are free (link is external). This annual gathering honours the lives of women that have been lost to violence: PEI women, the 14 women of l’École Polytechnique, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.