Assiniboine joins Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council in supporting Walk to End Violence

Assiniboine College and the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council (BUPAC) will partner once again to host a Walk to End Violence on Thursday afternoon beginning at Brandon’s Princess Park at 1:30 p.m. The walk, in support of the Moose Hide Campaign brings together staff, students, and community members in a time of remembrance and action against all forms of violence towards women and children.

“We are proud to join institutions nationwide as official ambassadors for the Moose Hide Campaign and the Walk to End Violence,” said Kris Desjarlais, Director of Indigenous Education at Assiniboine College. “Canadian post-secondary institutions are adopting the Moose Hide Campaign to foster safer environments, both within campus confines and beyond, while also championing reconciliation and inclusion efforts. Participating in the campaign advocates for the realization of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Calls for Justice from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry.”

The Moose Hide campaign is a grassroots movement that was started by a father and daughter on a moose hunting trip near B.C.’s Highway of Tears – a stretch of road where women have gone missing or were murdered. The campaign is an effort to engage men to take a lead role in ending gender-based violence and bring awareness by wearing a moose hide pin. Since the campaign’s inception, the moose hide pin has become one of Canada’s most recognized symbols of our country’s need to make meaningful steps toward reconciliation while seeking to end gender-based violence. To date, over four million pins have been distributed. Wearing a moose hide pin signifies a commitment to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life and community.

Following the walk, there is a gathering in Princess Park (at approximately 2:00 p.m.). All are welcome.

The college and the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council encourage community members to learn more about the Moose Hide Campaign at moosehidecampaign.ca or via the hashtag #WalkToEndViolence.

Moose Hide Campaign Key Facts:

• Every year there are over 60,000 physical or sexual assaults against women in BC – more than 1,000 per week
• One in three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime (Stats Canada, 2006)
• In 2014 there was a daily average of 7,969 women and children staying in shelters across Canada because it was not safe at home (Statistics Canada)
• There were 1,181 cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women in Canada between 1980 and 2012, according to the RCMP, with BC recording more than any other province (Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2010). However, according to grassroots organizations the number is much higher, closer to 4,000.

If you are a victim of domestic violence and require assistance please call 911. The Province of Manitoba also has resources available and an information/crisis line (1-877-977-0007) or by visiting the Province of Manitoba website.