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More cash for shelters urged

At International Women's Day rally

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 03/9/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Banner-bearers Katie Haig-Anderson (left) and Marika Olynyk lead International Women’s Day March Sunday. ( RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

WINNIPEG feminists urged the Harper government to invest in women's shelters at a weekend rally, saying domestic violence tends to rise in periods of economic stress.

Sporting hard hats, construction vests and carrying cardboard hammers, close to 100 Winnipeg women walked from the future site of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to the University of Winnipeg campus Sunday afternoon in support of International Women's Day.

The event's construction theme was a dig at the federal government's recent economic stimulus package, which some participants said focused on infrastructure projects that neglected the needs of Canadian women.

Fiona Muldrew said the Harper government clawed back funding for women's shelters and equality programs at a time when more women may be the victims of violence. Muldrew, who works at the West Central Women's Resource Centre, said studies have shown men who are under increased stress are more likely to take angst out on women and children.

"Domestic abuse does rise when there's stress and when people are losing their jobs," said participant Jarvis Brownlie. "Women are less likely to have a place to go if they're being abused at home, and that's more likely to happen now, so it's a real concern."

Participants signed messages on a board of "bricks" calling for an end to violence against women.

Family of Claudette Osborne carried a banner in support of their quest to find the missing woman, last seen in July.

Brenda Osborne, Claudette's mother, fought tears as she spoke of her family's determination to find her daughter. The family is offering a $20,000 reward and is asking anyone with information about her disappearance and whereabouts call police at 204-986-6250, Crime Stoppers at 786-8477 or Manitoba Search and Rescue at 777-0553.

"Nobody has come forward and it's not only my daughter I'm concerned about. There's other women out there who have gone missing," Osborne said. "We're not going to stop until we find her -- dead or alive."

International Women's Day was first recognized by the United Nations in 1977, and is celebrated by hundreds of communities around the world. The day is marked by a national holiday in several countries including China, Russia, Belarus and Tajikistan.

Aside from curbing domestic violence, event co-ordinator Meredith Mitchell said, a recession is a time when women want to see money in their pockets. Instead of bank bailouts and infrastructure projects, Mitchell said, women need pay equity and investment in daycare and community programs.

"Construction is framed as a national instrument for change and how we'll get ourselves out of recession," Mitchell said. "Women generally aren't construction workers, they're not generally engineers, and we're not putting money into constructive things like daycares and other things that women need."

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 9, 2009 A4

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