Every year, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) recognizes November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and as the start of the White Ribbon Campaign in Canada.
“As educators, we have an obligation to take a lead role in raising awareness about the alarming degree to which violence against women and girls continues to plague our communities,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott. “Today and every day, we encourage all levels of government to provide funding and deliver comprehensive strategies to address this issue.”
Today also marks the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender violence. Many OSSTF/FEESO members will set up commemorative displays in their work sites from November 28 to December 9. The Federation will commemorate December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and the sixteen days of activism will conclude with the recognition of International Human Rights Day on December 10.
“We are proud that so many of our members work tirelessly to bring awareness and action to ending gender violence, particularly our Status of Women Committee who take a lead every year in organizing campaign materials and developing our December 6thcommemorative poster,” said Elliott.
OSSTF/FEESO is a proud sponsor of the White Ribbon Campaign and has made December 6th commemorative posters available to districts and bargaining units across the province.