This Saturday marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.  It is also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Bruce Krentz with the Northern Health Region talks about the campaign.

“As part of those 16 days, we always remember the women who were murdered during that tragic mass shooting at Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6th, that was in 1989. So this is 16 days that goes from International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women to Human Rights Day on December 10th.”

Globally, an estimated 736 million women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

Alarmingly, data shows the commitment to counteract violence against women and girls remains glaringly sparse.

For instance, just 5% of government aid is focused on tackling the problem, and less than 0.2% is directed to its prevention.