Bonnyville’s first Candlelight vigil to honor those who have lost their lives because of Family Violence was held tonight by the Bonnyville Community Support Program. The program is a partnership between Dr. Margaret Savage Crisis Centre and Bonnyville and District FCSS. Since the Bonnyville Community Support program started in the spring of this year, over 40 people have come for help. We offer one on one support for those experiencing abuse, as well as groups, education sessions, community information sessions and referrals to supports.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, a day where we remember the sacrifices that our veterans made so that we may have freedoms. Tonight we came together to hold vigil for those who were not able to experience those freedoms, in their very homes. Those who were hurt and isolated by the very people who said they loved them. Tonight we gave those who were silenced, a voice.

Family Violence is a horrific blight on our society. The very homes that we should be safe and loved, is for 1 out of 4 women, the place where fear and violence occurs.  Children live in the midst of this chaos. On any given day in Canada, almost 3000 children will sleep in a shelter because it is not safe at home. Over 10, 000 women and children in Alberta stayed in a shelter between spring of 2014 and spring of 2015 (Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters Data Count, 2015). This is more than the total population of Bonnyville.

On average, a Canadian woman is murdered by her intimate partner every 6 days. (Canadian Women’s Foundation, Facts about Violence, 2016) Unfortunately as we have seen today, other family members can also be caught in this horror.

But there is hope. Each person that reaches out for help, each person that learns of a better way to treat others, and each person that speaks out against violence makes a difference.