International Women’s Day march draws 5,000
Walk follows release of ad by provincial government calling for end to sexual violence
As Canada marks International Women’s Day this weekend amid renewed attention to preventing sexual abuse, a provocative video ad released by the Ontario government is drawing praise from viewers.
Titled #WhoWillYouHelp, it shows various situations involving sexual violence and encourages viewers to step in and keep them from escalating. Part of the province’s $41-million plan unveiled by Premier Kathleen Wynne to address sexual violence and harassment, the video has garnered 40,000 views on YouTube.
“I think it’s an excellent video . . . it’s wonderful. I just think it just really speaks out against being bystanders to rape culture and harassment," said Alison Boughey, a communications manager in Ottawa. “I think that we all need to stand up and speak out against that if we want to change these attitudes.”
The video was released on Friday, just before Saturday’s march in Toronto in recognition of International Women’s Day, which is Sunday.
Organizers say more than 5,000 people, including members of community and labour groups as well as women’s shelters, participated in the march, which focused on combating sexual violence and issues such as murdered and missing aboriginal women, equal pay for women and racial justice.
Supporters sang, drummed, chanted and carried flags while marching through the downtown core to the Ryerson University campus.
Andrea Calver, an organizer with the International Women’s Day planning committee, said she’s happy to see the province’s new legislation giving additional resources to women’s shelters and organizations fighting on the front lines of this issue.
"There’s no doubt that’s a step forward, but there’s a lot of other steps the government needs to take," she said, adding that the province could take more of a leadership role in ensuring fair and balanced employment opportunities for women.
Boughey said she’s seen both men and women share the video on social media, which she finds encouraging.
“I thought it was pretty compelling . . . After watching it, I felt that there was an obligation on me to [say something] if I were to ever get into that situation,” said Ryan Walker, a developmental service worker from Hamilton. “I think the message was right to the point.”
However, Toronto-based labour lawyer Andrew Langille says the video has its weaknesses.
“I think it’s a good initiative, but it would have been wonderful if they had explored more of the diversity of situations that can arise,” Langille said.
All of the situations in the video show men as the perpetrators and women as the victims, but Langille said that the opposite can also happen, and that sexual violence also occurs between people of the same gender.