P.E.I. community march marks beginning of Family Violence Prevention Week
'People need one another and it's a community responsibility'
Feb. 12 marks the first day of Family Violence Prevention Week on P.E.I. and communities across the Island are organizing events to bring awareness to domestic violence, including a march at École Évangéline in Abram-Village.
Sister Norma Gallant, the event organizer, said this week is an important one for Islanders to remember.
- Family violence rate on P.E.I. improving
- Peter Jaffe says public awareness of domestic violence improving
"People need one another and it's a community responsibility," she said.
The march is one of several events on the Island taking place over the week that aims to put domestic violence in the spotlight.
Gallant said events like this are needed now more than ever.
"We have new things now, like the Internet, cyberbullying," she said. "People don't realize it's around as much."
'It does happen'
Community members were invited to take a purple ribbon, a symbol for the week, and walk the length of the school.
Gallant said the walk is meant to give people the opportunity to reflect and connect with their neighbours on the issue.
"For us the walk is to help build bridges between people," she said.
Gallant also said it's important for people to remember that domestic violence can happen to anyone.
"A lot of times, you have persons who don't believe that it could happen in small, little P.E.I., but it does happen in small P.E.I.," said Gallant.
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | P.E.I. could get up to 40 cm of snow
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Fit for a king: P.E.I. band Ten Strings and a Goat Skin to perform for Swedish royalty