YWCA’s across western Canada have launched a campaign that urges viewers to stop and listen to survivors, as part of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. The week, which runs from May 27 to June 2, is a national event bringing together victims and survivors of crime, survivor advocates and survivor-serving agencies to help raise awareness about survivors’ issues.
The emotional Facebook videos of survivors’ internal turmoil show the power of listening. When users click to listen, they hear the survivors’ internal monologue – the confusion, self-doubt and fear survivors often feel.
According to Statistics Canada, half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. While the statistic is shocking, the YWCA believes the true scale of violence against women in Canada isn’t always reflected in the number of incidents that get reported, which is why it's important to them to support survivors through awareness campaigns.
“We hope this campaign raises awareness and helps people understand what survivors go through, and how important it is for us hear and believe survivors, so that no one suffers in silence,”explains Lisa Rupert, vice president of Metro Vancouver's YWCA housing services and violence prevention.
“Women still wonder whether they will be listened to and believed," says Ruper.
According to research by the YWCA, 85 per cent of people never listen to videos on Facebook, a parallel they feel is similar to the ratio of survivors of crime who feel heard.
YWCA's videos are part of a broader collaborative campaign by YW Calgary, YWCA Metro Vancouver, YWCA Banff, YWCA Edmonton and YWCA Lethbridge, which will be broadcast throughout Alberta and southern British Columbia and online.
To learn more about how YWCA Metro Vancouver helps women who have experienced violence, visit ywcavan.org.
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