Community members are being encouraged to reflect and remember those lost to femicide and stand against gender-based violence, as the country prepares to commemorate the 14 young women killed in the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal in 1989.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women will be observed on Saturday, December 6.
The Centre Sarnia-Lambton will host a candlelight vigil, held in partnership with Réseau-Femmes, Lambton Kent Teachers' Federation of Ontario, and the Sarnia-Lambton Coordinating Committee on Violence Against Women.
The drop-in event will be held on Friday, December 5, from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. at The Centre's site at 145 Christina St. N.
Community Education Manager Trish Vanoosterom said some people will wear ribbons, and there will be a moment of silence.
"We will have photos and bios of the young women and other folks from the femicide list in the previous year posted," Vanoosterom said. "People can come, walk through, light a candle in remembrance, and basically reflect and remember as they look at all our vigil items."
The sombre event is being held in the middle of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign committed to ending violence against women, girls, and those in 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
Vanoosterom said the importance of this campaign, which is observed from November 25 to December 10, is to raise awareness.
Over the past several days, The Centre has been sharing information through social media and has been focusing on a few series.
"There will be a Talk About It Tuesday, which is highlighting community partners. We have the Voice of Activism, so that is [where the Centre team members share what activism actually means to them. We are doing the Centre's Reel Talk -- it's a brand new educational reel, it's a series where we're going to unpack different topics and spark, hopefully, some important conversations."
Human Rights Day will be recognized on December 10, at the end of the 16 days.
