Newmarket and other York Region municipalities are joining Yellow Brick House and Sandgate Women's Shelter for a special flag raising Monday, Dec. 6, signalling a commitment to end gender-based violence.
Dec. 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. To commemorate, Wrapped in Courage flags will be raised in Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan. Proclomations will also be made.
"This Proclamation and flag raising signals a commitment to ending gender-based violence in our community and to ensure survivors know they are not alone," the shelters said in a news release.
The shelters for women escaping violence are some of the services available to survivors.
"Gender-based violence is an often invisible issue, and many women and gender-diverse individuals may not be aware of the services that are available in their community," the news release said.
This flag raising will mark the end of the annual Wrapped in Courage campaign, which is organized by the Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses. Every year since 2013, in the month of November, they encourage Ontarians to purchase and wear purple scarves to show their support for survivors of violence against women.
Yellow Brick House and Sandgate Women's Shelter have been participating in the Wrapped in Courage campaign and 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which began on Nov. 25.
They are encouraging you to participate and show your support as well.
"Every Ontarian has a key role to play when it comes to addressing gender-based violence and preventing femicide," the news release said.
You can get involved by talking with those close to you about the role local shelters play in the community, contacting your local politicians to tell them you want governments to commit to ending gender-based violence, and reaching out to the local shelters to see how you can support their services.
You are also encouraged to attend a flag raising either in person or virtually if your community is holding a public event and share photos of the flags on social media. However, due to COVID-19, the flag-raising ceremonies in York Region will be closed to the public.
