At least one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. It’s a startling statistic that every Nov. 25^th, since 1999, the United Nations General Assembly has been drawing attention to by decreeing the day International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The commemoration also kicks off an annual global 16 days of activism campaign against gender violence.

Catherine Murray, SFU Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies (GSWS) chair, and Jen Marchbank, associate professor of Explorations in Arts and Social Sciences at SFU Surrey, can comment on the significance of today and the larger campaign. The two have written an opinion editorial piece, appearing in today’s Vancouver Sun, about vigilantism being no fix for gender violence against many groups, not just women. They are also hosting Red Shoes, Green Belts and White Ribbons on Dec. 8, a gender violence research fundraiser and awareness raising campaign.

Catherine Murray, 604.838.5272 (cell), 778.782.5322, murraye@sfu.ca
Jen Marchbank, 604.996.6195 (cell), 778.782.7607, jmarchba@sfu.ca