With union flags waving high, Local 1000A members, activists and staff marched through the streets of downtown Toronto on March 5, 2016 as part of a series of events leading up to International Women’s Day.
They are among the millions of women and men around the world who will be celebrating International Women’s Day, which falls officially on March 8, 2016.
The weekend event started with a rally at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, after which the participants marched down Bloor and Yonge Streets to Ryerson University.
The local union is making a difference in the lives of women and children at Armagh House, a local area shelter, by supporting them as they seek to break away from a cycle of violence, said Local 1000A steward Ilija Dimeski.
Dimeski, who works at Cineplex Courtney Park in Mississauga, sought support from his union during the holiday season for the shelter where he servers as Treasurer.
Armagh House is a second-stage support housing program that helps women regain an independent life free from violence.
I have experienced emotional abuse. Instead of bruises, I was left with scars. I call them anger, fear, embarrassment, and feelings of powerlessness, just to name a few. These feelings have caused so much turmoil in my life, yet have empowered me to become the person I am today.
Born in the early 60s, I don’t suppose I was any different from others. My mother became an alcoholic, my father drank, and became the abuser. As a child growing up, I experienced things that a child should never hear, nor see.
Join us in helping end violence against women and girls in Canada by spreading the word about the online resource: Sheltersafe.ca.
According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, more than 40,000 domestic violence arrests take place every year with the vast majority of incidents going unreported.
Sheltersafe.ca has been launched by the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses (CNWSTH) for women who are experiencing abuse.
