Beyond the Epidemic Declaration

Beyond the Epidemic Declaration:

The GBV/IPV Working Group Organizes a Sector-Wide Consultation in the City of Toronto

Last year, Aura Freedom led the Urgent Call to Action that called upon the City of Toronto to declare Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic in our communities. Building upon decades of feminist work, we led this Urgent Call in collaboration with Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke, and with the encouragement and endorsements of more than 40 organizations working to end gender-based violence in Toronto. We also had the support and advocacy of Councillor Lily Cheng and many survivors from our communities.

On July 20, 2023, herstory was made when newly-sworn-in Mayor Olivia Chow declared Intimate Partner and Gender-Based Violence an Epidemic in Toronto, with the unanimous support of City Council. As we celebrated this collective “victory”, it was important for us to ensure that the work didn’t end at the declaration.

From that time, along with our brilliant partners below, Aura Freedom collaborated in the GBV/IPV Working Group, which engaged in a deep analysis and organized a sector-wide consultation to ensure more voices were heard and more communities represented. The GBV Sector Consultation, held earlier this week, will inform the City on how address the IPV epidemic in a meaningful way. We also heard from City staff on the work that has been done so far.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our amazing GBV/IPV Working Group co-members and our consultant extraordinaire with whom we’ve shared so much:

  • Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
  • Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto
  • White Ribbon
  • Woman ACT
  • Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke
  • YWCA Toronto
  • Monica DaPonte, Shift & Build Consulting

And so much gratitude goes to all of the participants and attendees of the GBV Sector Consultation who brought their brilliance and passion to the table and to Councillor Cheng for her constant support of this work.

We are looking forward to what comes next. There is so much still to do.

A Double Launch for GBV In The Media

A Double Launch for GBV In The Media

For years, feminist advocates have raised their voices about the importance of accurate media reporting of gender-based violence in the media. For years, we have seen gender inequality furthered and strengthened through media representation of gender-based violence. For years, survivors and their loved ones have seen their stories (and lives) misrepresented, mischaracterized, and in many cases ignored by media. 

The relationship between the GBV and Media sectors has been historically strained. But we know the only way for us to create transformative change, and utilize media as a means to prevent and end gender-based violence, is to bridge that divide. This is why we are so proud to have officially launched our GBV In The Media project, funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, in which we created:

  • National Network of pan-Canadian GBV and media stakeholders (with a parallel Indigenous-led Network)
  • Media Guidelines around reporting on gender-based violence, which were expert-informed, and included dedicated sections on Violence Against Indigenous Women, Human/Sex Trafficking, Femicide and more.
  • Research Background & Literature Review that explored portrayals of GBV in the media, with an Indigenous-specific section.
  • Journalist’s Scorecard, a tool created to support media professionals’ usage of Aura Freedom’s Guidelines on GBV in the Media.
  • An Online Resource Centre to house all project info, tools, and resources, including: the guidelines, research, scorecard, a list of our National Network, our definition for Transformative Media, and more.
  • Awareness & Events to promote the issue of GBV in the Media, dissemination of the guidelines, our research, our tools, and more through partnerships, events, social media, and more. 

We are grateful to everyone who attended our launch events, both in person in Toronto our online webinar. Our launch events consisted of both a Project Presentation to introduce the project, provide a background on the project’s research, and give overview to the media guidelines, as well as a Panel Discussion that brought together experts from both the GBV and Media sectors, many of whom were National Network members. We are grateful to the numerous journalists and GBV advocates who joined us at these events, and continue to join us in this growing movement dedicated to combating GBV through the power of media.

Together, we have created a project that seeks to radically change the way gender-based violence is viewed and addressed in our communities.

Watch the recap of our Toronto launch!

Toronto launch - March 20, 2023.

We first launched our GBV In The Media project on March 20th at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto. This event was designed for journalists, media professionals and VAW/GBV advocates to connect over the importance of transformative media reporting of GBV, and share thoughts on how we can collaborate to make it happen.

A thank you to our amazing panelists:

  • Firdaus Ali, Canadian Centre of Muslim Women & Journalist
  • Ci Ci Fan, Independent Journalist
  • Pamela Hart, Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto
  • Carla Neto, Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke
  • Moderated by our own Executive Director, Marissa Kokkoros

Online launch - March 26, 2023.

To provide an opportunity for those across Canada unable to attend our Toronto launch, we hosted a virtual launch on March 26th with GBV advocates and media professionals from across Canada.

A thank you to our amazing panelists:

  • Laura Baziuk, Global BC
  • Nana Boateng, Elizabeth Fry Toronto
  • Myrna Dawson, Canadian Femicide Observatory
  • Elizabeth Renzetti, Journalist and Best-Selling Author
  • Benedicte Shoepflin, Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
  • Moderated by our own Executive Director, Marissa Kokkoros

Thank you

Thank you to our wonderful team members, Board members and volunteers for all their efforts!

Thank you also to the many GBV In The Media network members, panelists, and community partners who attended our launch events and engaged in the conversation.

Of course, a huge thank you to Women and Gender Equality Canada for funding this important work and a special thank you to Forsman & Bodenfors, Tottographs, and Insert Marketing for their support.

Toronto Launch Event - full photo gallery

Aura Freedom acknowledges the support of Women and Gender Equality Canada

EmpowerU – Sharing Human Trafficking Knowledge

EmpowerU – Sharing Human Trafficking Knowledge

In honour of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Aura Freedom hosted EmpowerU, a special online event where we invited youth, youth-serving frontline workers, community organizations, advocates, educators, parents/guardians, healthcare workers, and other stakeholders invested in eradicating human trafficking and gender-based violence in Ontario and beyond. 

During this event, we hosted a Panel Discussion and Community Dialogue with anti-human trafficking advocates, activists, and frontline workers who shared their insights on sex trafficking prevention rooted in equity, intersectionality, and human rights. We also hosted a Resource Spotlight featuring different community advocates, we will shine a spotlight on various community resources, services and tools available in Ontario and Canada to advance human trafficking prevention and support survivors/those at risk.

Our goal was to EmpowerU to end exploitation and gender-based violence in your communities, enhance youth safety, and support survivors.

We are grateful to our panelists, our attendees, as well as The Regional Municipality of York Region for supporting this event!

Watch the Recording of EmpowerU:

Aura Freedom turns 10!

Aura Freedom turns 10!

Our hearts are bursting! A heartfelt thank you to all those who came out to A Day After Freedom and celebrated 10 years of Aura Freedom with us at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto.

There aren’t words to describe what this evening meant to us and our community. The sisterhood and siblinghood felt in the room that night was especially powerful and beautiful. It was truly a night of music, celebration, and – of course – of powerful activism. 

Here’s to decades more of the feminist movement, and of Aura Freedom. 

A Day After Freedom featured performances from Neon Nostalgicas well as a surprise performance by our very own Executive Director, Marissa Kokkoros!

Thank you to our wonderful hosts, longtime supporter Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah (left) and Board member Kimberley Fowler (right), for lending your broadcasting and media skills to A Day After Freedom!

Thank you to our amazing community. To our Board Members, Advisors, Staff (past and present), Partners, Supporters, Donors, and more who came out and joined us, as you do in our mission to end violence against women and girls, each and every day. 

What a night! Check out our photos.

MANY THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS:

MAIN GRASSROOTS SPONSORS:

SILENT AUCTION & PRODUCT SPONSORS:

We thank the El Mocambo for generously sponsoring a portion of our venue.

Our 10-Year Anniversary Event

Our 10-Year Anniversary Event

Join us on October 18, 2023 to celebrate Aura Freedom’s 10-year anniversary at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto. 

A Day After Freedom is an event to celebrate a decade of Aura Freedom’s work eradicating Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking…and to talk about what’s next.

October 18, 2023. 6PM. El Mocambo. 464 Spadina Ave, Toronto.

Join us for live music, art & activism! All are welcome.

Enjoy finger foods, merch for sale, a silent auction, cash bar and more – plus a live musical performance by Neon Nostalgic.

Hear from our Founder,
Marissa Kokkoros

The El Mocambo is one of Toronto's most legendary music venues.
Discover all its Rock & Roll history at your fingertips.

GRATEFUL TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS:

MAIN GRASSROOTS SPONSORS:

SILENT AUCTION & PRODUCT SPONSORS:

We thank the El Mocambo for generously sponsoring a portion of our venue.

We're still looking for event sponsors!

Download our Sponsorship Package

Support the work to end violence against women and human trafficking in Canada and beyond.

We can't wait to see you all there!

65th UN Commission on the Status of Women- Virtual Forum

The Relentless Resilience Campaign is Going to the UN

The 65th UN Commission on the Status of Women is completely virtual this year, which gives you a unique opportunity to attend as if you were a delegate in New York.

Last year, the entire Commission – normally held in New York – was cancelled due to COVID (including Aura Freedom’s event), but we are back virtually this year and want to take you with us!

Register for free HERE to join our team for an amazing two weeks of online feminist events to choose from. Once you register, add our event “Relentless Resilience” on March 18th at 2:00pm to your agenda and we’ll see you there!

United We Stand – An International Panel for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020

UNITED WE STAND - And International Panel on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020

Check out one of our favourite events of 2020 (over 9000 views on Facebook!) with our colleagues around the globe working to end human trafficking and advance equity in different ways. Thank you to all our co-panelists and tireless activists fighting for the eradication of human trafficking and exploitation in different corners of the world. Big thanks to Ushoshi Sangupta, New Light Kolkata and Urmi Basu!
 
Check out the full video below or watch it on YouTube.

‘Reclaiming Power’ – A Webinar on Human Trafficking and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada

Reclaiming Power - A Conversation on Human Trafficking
and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada

In July 2020, Aura Freedom participated in the ‘Reclaiming Power’ forum for a conversation on human trafficking and violence against Indigenous women in Canada hosted by She Leads from Ontario Tech University. 

Our Executive Director Marissa Kokkoros provided a (very) crash course on what human trafficking looks like in Ontario and spoke alongside our good friend Melissa Compton, a Mi’kmaq Nation social worker, trauma counsellor and Indigenous educator, who spoke about the historical contexts of violence against Indigenous women.
 
Thank you to She Leads for hosting this important conversation!

#MeToo Conference – Iceland

#MeToo: Moving Forward Conference, Iceland

In September we attended the ‘#MeToo Moving Forward’ conference in Iceland on the impact of the #MeToo movement. We attended workshops and sessions led by fellow feminists, activists, academics, and government officials including the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

A highlight was meeting American political activist Angela Davis and engaging with feminists and change-makers from around the world.

The conference was a part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 and organized in collaboration with RIKK, Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland.

Standing Up for Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

Standing Up for Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

In August 2019, we stood in solidarity with the Sudanese women’s group Kandaka International for Women’s Rights to support Sudan’s survivors of wartime sexual violence.

Our Executive Director gave a talk on sexual violence in conflict and presented an interview she had with survivor Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman (photo below), a survivor of the war in Kosovo and winner of the 2019 Kim Bok-dong Prize.

The sisterhood was alive and well and after all the tears, we even managed to laugh and sing during the ‘photoshoot’.