WAWA — An annual event in Wawa is marking a quarter of a century of standing up against sexual violence.
CHADWIC Home, in association with the Algoma Council on Domestic Violence, invited community members across Wawa to join together in solidarity and march to Take Back The Night on Wednesday.
Take Back the Night it is the “oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence in all forms” beginning in the early 1970s at a tribunal council meeting in Belgium where over two thousand women from around the world gathered in solidarity.
This marks the 25th year that CHADWIC Home has spearheaded the event in Wawa.
The first event in Wawa was organized in collaboration with local service agencies, Michipicoten First Nation, and the local OPP.
“I remember being very nervous before the march not knowing how it would be perceived by the community," said CHADWIC executive director Paula Valois. "Twenty-five years ago, we were still very much faced with a lot of misunderstanding of the issue, and disbelief that it was actually happening in our community. But it went off very well. We asked a local Indigenous Elder to speak at the event, and it was very powerful.”
Valois has been working as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence and abuse since she returned to Wawa after graduating from university. It was then that she joined the woman’s group Herizons, who had completed a Needs Study to establish a shelter in the community.
At the time, the provincial government committed to funding what they called “Family Resource Centres” across the North.
When CHADWIC Home opened in 1985, it was initially funded through an agreement made between the province, the local District Services Board, and the five municipalities that CHADWIC serves including Wawa, Hornepayne, Chapleau, Dubreuilville, White River, and all of the unorganized First Nations communities in the area.
The name CHADWIC is an acronym that stands for “Chapleau, Hornepayne, Algoma District Women In Crisis.”
Valois started as a frontline worker and became manager in 1988.
In 1992, CHADWIC became incorporated as a non-profit and formed their own board of directors, which is when Valois’ became executive director.
“It has been quite the journey over the last 38 years,” said Valois, “but our community has come a long way.”
CHADWIC’s Take Back The Night march started at Dr. Rose’s Beach, passed through St. Marie Street, down Broadway Ave, and came to an end with a gathering upstairs at Wawa’s Royal Canadian Legion.
“We do this rain or shine,” said Dawn Charbonneau, a frontline crisis worker at CHADWIC Home. “We’re hoping for as many concerned community members to come and join us as possible.”
There were also live performances by local musicians, door prize draws and refreshments.
Although the act of marching is a main focal point of Take Back The Night, Charbonneau stressed that there are other ways for people to show their support.
“Maybe you don’t feel comfortable or safe to walk with us, we can understand that,” said Charbonneau. “Purple lights, wearing a take back the night shirt, there are other ways to get involved, ways to donate… our main goal is educating, getting people in the community involved [and to] care about this issue, even if they don’t feel it directly affects them.”
And, the effects of sexual violence and abuse are not restricted to the municipality of Wawa.
“Any shelter that you speak to will tell you that the need has increased dramatically,” Charbonneau said. “The volume of shelter access and requests has increased dramatically.”
On Tuesday, Valois gave a presentation to Wawa municipal council on the Renfrew County Inquest into the murder of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam.
The council voted unanimously to pass a resolution declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, making it the 55th municipality in Ontario to do so.
Between Valois’ efforts at a governmental level and CHADWIC’s events such as the Take Back The Night march, earnest activism is drawing awareness to bolster support for women and children in crisis — especially from the provincial and federal government.
“We’ve lost a lot of the pandemic funding — there were extra supports being provided for those of us considered essential in healthcare, social work, shelter work… anybody in the violence against women sector,” said Charbonneau. “That is no longer there but the need has almost, for us, doubled and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Charbonneau said that while CHADWIC Home is an “amazing resource,” referrals remain a large part of what they do.
“If we can’t do it, we will absolutely try to bridge every gap that we can to get you aligned with another organization or agency that may have that resource,” said Charbonneau. “[We] try to turn over every stone if we don’t have the stone ourselves.”
Charbonneau mentioned other shelters and support organizations in the region including Pauleen’s Place in Sault Ste. Marie and Marjorie House in Marathon.
“Our goal is… to bring those numbers way down,” said Charbonneau. “In the meantime, we want [to] shatter the silence, stop the violence — that is the mission; ending all forms of sexual violence including sexual assault, abuse, trafficking, stalking, gender harassment, relationship violence… ultimately, continuing the work that we do to support survivors.”
Those looking to access CHADWIC Home's services can find more information at www.chadwichome.com.
