Roses for women's awareness

Dozens of women in Kelowna marched in an Angel Walk on Dec. 6th in honour of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. They joined thousands of other Canadians in remembering 14 young women who were killed at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal 24 years ago.

The event raises awareness for violence against women that is still taking place today.

“It is very frightening that every year we seem to be adding more names to the list,” said former Kelowna mayor Sharon Shepherd of the victims, each honoured by a rose. “It means that we still have a lot of work to do.”

Over 50 roses were laid at the Kelowna march this year. Province wide, more than 1,000 physical or sexual assaults against women take place each week.

“Despite the important work that has been done to end violence against women, on this day we are reminded that this work is far from complete,” NDP leader Adrian Dix and women’s issues critic Maurine Karagianis said in a statement. “Today, we remember those that have been lost, and the women and girls who spend each day living under the threat of violence.”

The local community continues to raise awareness for the issue - Aboriginal men have started another initiative, wearing a small piece of moose hide as a symbol of their commitment to the cause.