Surrey Schools marks 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Surrey Schools is joining organizations and school districts across the country in participating in 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign calling for an end to violence on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

Each year, the campaign begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25 and concludes with Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. 

For 2023, the Government of Canada’s theme is: Listen. Learn. Act.

• LISTEN refers to supporting survivors who share their experience, and to the experts that work on the frontlines. 
• LEARN encourages us to educate ourselves on what GBV is, how to spot it, and how we can prevent it and take action. 
• ACT is for taking the information and applying it in our daily lives.

According to JB Mahli, Director of Instruction with the district’s Racial Equity department, campaigns such as these are important steps toward creating awareness, understanding and, ultimately, empathy for situations that might be outside the scope of what someone may have experienced in their own life.

“As a district, we are an organization that upholds equity, inclusion and belonging and so when we have days to acknowledge and learn, it creates greater awareness of issues that might not be at top of mind for everyone because they don’t have that lived experience,” he said.

In Canada, 44 per cent of women reported experiencing some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, with one-third of women aged 15-24 reporting experiencing it in the 12 months prior to a 2018 federal survey.

The issue, said Mahli, is something that isn’t exclusive to a specific culture or ethnicity.

“Gender-based violence cuts across all identities,” he said. “It impacts every single group that we have and so what we need to hear are the stories of what happened, which can look very different for each individual.”

With the 16 days of activism coming to a close with Human Rights Day, it is also an opportunity for communities to learn about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which turns 75 this year.

Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on Dec. 10, 1948, the declaration defines fundamental human rights that are to be universally protected, such as a right to life, the freedom of movement and the freedom of speech, among others.
 
 The Ministry of Education and Child Care has provided a number of resources to help educators build a culture of consent in their classrooms and schools:

• The B.C. government’s Supporting Student Health guides (Elementary and Secondary) have been significantly expanded to include more content related to consent and gender-based violence. These guides provide background information and teaching suggestions to help teachers feel more confident and comfortable addressing these situations with their students.
• Further enhancements have been made to the physical and health education curriculum to provide teachers with additional guidance on how to integrate these topics into their classrooms.
• The erase website has expanded to include dedicated resources on consent and gender-based violence to prevent and respond to different forms of gender-based abuse.

Surrey Schools is committed to its ongoing efforts to increase awareness and education to prevent incidents of gender-based violence.

For more information on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, click here.