Paulette Senior, CEO of YWCA Canada said a "major societal shift" is needed to end the problem and federal action now will save lives. "Ending violence against women requires a major shift in our thinking as a society," said YWCA Canada CEO Paulette Senior. "Violence must be treated as unacceptable behaviour whenever and wherever it occurs."

Senior pointed to the direct connections between poverty, lack of low-cost childcare, and women's ability to protect themselves against violence. "Every woman needs a safe place to live, a door she can lock to shut out violence, whether she is fleeing an assaultive partner or struggling to get off the street," said Senior. "Homelessness is never safe for women."

The campaign urges Canadians to e-mail their MPs a virtual rose on December 6 - the 19th anniversary of the Montreal massacre, in which gunman Marc Lepine shot 14 women dead. "To prevent violence before it starts, it must be treated as unacceptable behaviour whenever and wherever it occurs," said a YWCA Canada statement. "Women need full equality in practice, not just in law. That means equal pay, not 73 cents of each dollar earned by men. More than a third of families led by single mothers live below the poverty line."

The Liberals immediately responded with a motion in Parliament asking the Conservative government to develop a nationwide Violence Prevention Strategy, especially in regard to aboriginal women.

The YWCA quoted federal government statistics estimating the medical costs of violence against women at $1.1 billion a year, plus $4 billion annually for criminal justice, social services, and lost productivity.

It says governments can help women establish independent, violence-free households by ensuring they can find jobs, affordable childcare, safe and affordable housing, and have adequate financial support.

The campaign encourages people to speak up against violence in their communities, encourage perpetrators to get help, teach girls to protect themselves, and "raise children who can resolve conflict without violence."

It also says people should speak out against negative media images of women and girls and promote women's economic and political equality.

YWCA Canada reports:

-More than 31,000 incidents of spousal violence against women were reported to police in 2006. It is estimated that over 70 per cent of incidents go unreported.

-Almost 40 per cent of women in Canada who reported assault by a partner said their children witnessed the violence and the woman feared for their lives in half those cases.

"Canada is not yet a safe country for women," says Senior. "The government should not wait until the twentieth anniversary of December 6th to take steps toward a coordinated national action plan. Implementation now will save lives."

Related Stories

• YWCA Canada calls for a woman’s voice in elections
• YWCA of Canada to focus on sustainability and the YWCA movement at Annual Membership Meeting
• YWCA of Canada Website