A local group that holds events annually as part of a global push to end gender-based violence is gearing up for this year’s campaign starting later this month.
Officials say violence kills more women between the ages of 15 and 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined.
From November 25th to December 10th, GRANquinte, a member group of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN), will once again engage in the United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence under the 2026 theme: “UNITE to End Violence Against Women and Girls: Ensure justice, Protect survivors, End impunity.”
They released the following details on this year’s campaign.
RELEASE FROM GRANQUINTE –
Strong laws matter – but laws alone are not enough. Survivors need safe ways to report violence, accessible and affordable support and services, and justice systems that respond effectively. This means holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring that institutions answer for failures that allow violence to continue with impunity.
The violence prevention movement treats violence against women as a women’s issue—something women need to solve, with some good men helping out. Let’s stop focusing on educating women, who are already experts in trying to keep themselves safe from violence. Let’s concentrate on educating men about how not to harm in the first place.
Gender-based violence is not a women’s issue. It is deeply rooted in power imbalances and societal norms that allow men to exert control over women and children. Men abuse and kill women for the most devastatingly simple reason – because they can. They’re not wired that way. Men who choose to be violent do so because society has repeatedly taught them that women can be possessed, controlled, punished, discarded. Friends will make excuses, families will look away, police may underestimate the danger, courts will give men another chance.
GRAN believes that the importance of involving boys and men in creating a fairer, more inclusive world can’t be emphasized enough.
What can you do during the during the 16 Days of Activism? Show your solidarity by using or wearing orange, the colour chosen by the UN to symbolize hope for a future free of violence. Stand up and speak out. Silence affirms and supports violence against women. Educate yourself. Listen to and learn from survivors. Ask how you can help if you suspect abuse or assault. Support or donate to women’s rights organizations and survivor services. Spotlight the barriers to justice that survivors face, challenge victim-blaming and attitudes that enable violence, and call on decision makers to strengthen laws, services, and accountability. Be a mentor for youth and teach, by your words and actions, respect for people. Hold each other accountable. Create a safer environment for everyone by challenging your peers to reflect on their own behaviour and speaking up when someone crosses the line. To the men doing the work, keep going. Challenge one another. Be the ripple effect.
You can also display a lawn sign from November 25th to December 10th. The signs can be purchased from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm at Belleville Library on November 17th or by phoning 613-962-0285.
