Free from violence

Public awareness campaign

2021

In 2021 for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism to end Gender-based Violence we shared this information—Let’s all Recognize the Signs.

The campaign taught the public how to recognize the signs of intimate partner violence, how to help, and ways to safely check in with someone in an abusive relationship—such as a family member, a co-worker, a neighbour, or member of our community.

After over 40 years of listening firsthand and assisting victims and survivors, we know how intimate partner violence, sexualized violence, and emotional abuse happens routinely within the privacy of their home—hidden from public view.

We called on everyone to collectively make sure that community based services such as BWSS are available to assist survivors of violence because they tell us that they feel safer going to anti-violence organizations rather than calling authorities including the police.

The campaign also provided resources including interactive, personalised safety planning tools, a toolkit called “How do I help my friend?”, and invited survivors, victims, and allies to share what signs they look for.