Small P.E.I. town of Kensington launches campaign against gender-based violence

The Town of Kensington, P.E.I., is taking extra steps to end gender-based violence.

The town of about 2,000 people already does an annual walk in silence against family violence but it wanted to do more. So when the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women approached it this past spring, officials were excited to collaborate on an action plan.

"This is not just a document that sits on the shelf," said Kensington Mayor Rowan Caseley. "We've got some actual concrete steps that we want to get done within the next year." 

Those nine steps include: 

• A declaration by the town of its commitment to end gender-based violence.
• Placing information stickers in washrooms around town.
• Including an image of a purple ribbon on the town's welcome signage.
• Putting an image of a purple ribbon on the town's water bills.
• Expanding the town's walk in silence with more participants and a guest speaker.
• Creating a welcome for newcomers to the town. 
• Offering more training in gender-based violence prevention.
• Monitoring the plan's progress and celebrating successes.

The P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women is satisfied with prevention and education efforts in P.E.I.'s two cities, Charlottetown and Summerside, but wants to create more awareness in smaller communities and rural areas.

"Sometimes it's harder to talk about in a small community," says Jane Ledwell, the council's executive director. "We don't want to admit that these things are happening, but we know it's happening."

'Beyond our expectations'

According to Statistics Canada, almost twice as many women living in rural areas of Canada experienced intimate partner violence compared to women in urban areas. Longer distances to services, isolation by an intimate partner, and easier access to guns can be factors.  

Funding came from the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, with help from a local arts organization, Under the Spire, which co-ordinated and hosted a community forum and consultations with local groups. Those included the chamber of commerce, a local home and school group, a church group and a watershed association.  

Building on those consultations, the Status of Women met with Kensington's police force and town council and came up with an action plan. 

"The action plan that Kensington decided on really went beyond our expectations," said Ledwell. 

"When people know that there's an action that they can take — and even more, if they know that their community is behind them in taking an action — I think it emboldens everyone to play the role that they can to end gender-based violence."

'Not something to be ashamed of'

In 12 months, the town will review how it did and look at how to do even better, Caseley said. 

"The fact that we are looking at it and recognizing and identifying that it does exist and we as a community have a role to play in trying to eliminate it, that's part of what this is all about," he said.

"It's not something to be ashamed of, it's not something to hide, it's something to recognize that it does exist and [ask] what can we do to help?" Caseley said.