The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women will launch its 2004 Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence on Wednesday, November 3rd, during a Purple Ribbon Pinning Bee. The Campaign honours the victims of the Montreal Massacre and raises awareness of violence against women and children.
The public and media are invited to attend the Pinning Bee, which will take place at the Coles Building on Richmond Street in Charlottetown from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. The bee is an opportunity for volunteers to pin ribbons to information cards for Islandwide distribution.
The Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence was initiated by the ACSW in 1992 to remember the 14 women who were murdered at L’’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989, and to raise awareness about violence against women. This year 35,000 ribbons and cards in English and French will be distributed across P.E.I.
The Advisory Council asks that Islanders wear the purple ribbons during the weeks leading up to December 6, which is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, to help raise awareness of the acts of violence perpetrated against women and children on P.E.I. and throughout the world.
"Every year, hundreds of Island women and children are victims of violence," says Kirstin Lund, Chairperson of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "The purple ribbon is a visible symbol of our pain and sorrow for these victims and our commitment to change."
Lund says the Advisory Council gratefully acknowledges the continued support of the Premier’’s Action Committee on Family Violence Prevention, the City of Charlottetown and the thousands of volunteers who have contributed to the Purple Ribbon Campaign since its inception in 1992.
Contact: Lisa Murphy, Director, 368-4510 or
Sandy Kowalik, 368-4510.