Muskoka rises to end violence against women

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MUSKOKA - Muskokans danced to demand an end to violence against women in a flash mob that involved more than 200 countries around the world on Feb. 14.
About 70 people gathered at Nipissing University in Bracebridge wearing pink and red to dance for the cause, some holding placards, others wearing T-shirts designed specifically for the day.
The message of organizers was that one in three women are raped or beaten in their lifetime. That’s one billion women in the world. One Billion Rising is a global movement that seeks to raise awareness of the fight against violence against women, counteracting the one billion acts of violence women around the world face with one billion women dancing in a revolution.
Baysville resident Torren Jacobsen was one of a handful of men to attend the event.
“I have a mother and a sister and many other females in my family that I couldn’t imagine something like that happening to,” he said.
Samantha Ennest attended the event with her 13-year-old daughter, whose birthday happened to be on the same day.
She wanted her daughter to come and understand the issue of violence against women in the world, she said.
Sexual abuse in particular is often unreported according to Lauren Power, one of the co-ordinators of the event. She said after public events such as One Billion Rising more women often come forward to the Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services where she works.
“We try to have that kind of support in place for them,” she said.
She lauded Eve Ensler, the force behind the movement, who began V-Day (an awareness movement that takes place on Valentines Day) 15 years ago to raise awareness for the fight to stop violence against women and girls including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation, and sex slavery.
V-Day has worked with local organizations to provide the first shelters for women in Egypt and Iraq and donated satellite phones to Afghan women to keep lines of communication open.
“The events in India picked up a lot of momentum for this event,” Power said. “Of course those of us who are violence against women advocates wanted to take part as well, just to raise awareness.”
Though many came to show their support with placards, Jacobsen lunged out of his comfort zone and learned the choreographed steps to the dance arranged specifically for that day.
“My experience with dancing has always been at the bar and trying to fit in … this was a different style than I’ve ever attempted before, it’s actually easier than I thought it would be,” he said.
The event in Muskoka was co-ordinated by several agencies: the YWCA, Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services, Muskoka Interval House, Chrysalis and women from the community.
A fourth year student at Nipissing University, Kim Kirschner, decided to organize the event on campus after taking a course in family violence.
She said it’s important to her that people who have power want to make a difference.
“I hope people know we’re here, we’re together and we want to make a difference,” she said.
Ashley Jenereaul, also a Nipissing student, is looking into what she can do over the next year to further the awareness.
“I took a family violence class and I learned a lot about it and I never realized the amount of abuse that goes on in our world,” she said.
Following the dance, Port Sydney resident Annemieke Struyk challenged everyone attending to take things a step further.
“As part of the movement there’s an action step afterwards for pledging for the next year to do one thing, each and every one of us, to end violence against women,” Struyk said.
Jacobsen said he needs to look into what he can do this year to further the cause, “but at the very least I’ll do another dance.”

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