Photo #1: Riantsoa Andriamasy and Claudia Fradette in the AGIR office (109 Wright
Street). The two women and their respective organizations have partnered to organize 12
days of actions to eliminate violence against women. They invite the Outaouais to join them
in large numbers. (DD) Photo: Djeneba Dosso

Djeneba Dosso

AGIR is collaborating with Maison d’Ingrid to invite the Outaouais to join them for 12 days of

action from November 25 to December 6 to address violence against women. Beginning on

November 25, the National Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the dozen days

will be filled with programming, sensibility training, conferences, and information sessions. It

will come to a close on December 6, which marks the anniversary of the 1989 École

Polytechnique massacre.

Claudia Fradette, general manager of the shelter for women victims of domestic abuse, Maison

d’Ingrid, emphasizes the importance of this mobilization.

“On a daily basis in our shelter we see that these women are numerous and how they are still

very much affected by the violence they have suffered in the context of their domestic

relationships,” she said. “Concrete actions like these send women a clear message that they are

believed, that they are supported, that they are accompanied and not alone.”

The Ingrid shelter opened its door in July 2023 to offer housing, prevention and youth services to

women and children. The house now has seven spaces that can be occupied by three women and

up to four children. The house, which has been a resource in the community, is often in high

demand, but it is only a temporary placement while a bigger shelter is built in Cantley to

accommodate more women.

Beyond receiving emergency shelter, each woman has a weekly one-on-one assessment to find

out what their needs are and to establish an action plan. This is done individually as each

woman’s needs vary and therefore need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Riantsoa Andriamasy, head of communications and popular education for AGIR, says

participating in the 12 days of action is a great way to show support to these women.

“There are a lot of people who either don’t recognize that there is violence, think they are not

affected by the violence or believe that it is not their problem, when in reality, violence against

women, domestic violence is everyone’s problem—it is not a private matter.”

Speaking about violence against women is essential to ensure its prevention. According to the

latest report from the Ministry of Public Safety, published this year, the biggest increase in

domestic violence-related offences this decade was recorded in 2021, affecting mainly women

(76.4% of victims). In Quebec to date, there have been nine femicides in 2023 in the context of

domestic violence.

Andriamasy added, “Violence does not have a face and you never know who may be affected by

it. We often tell ourselves that it is none of our business, but my wish is for people to become

aware of the scope of this challenge.”​She invites everyone to join the movement and educate

themselves on the matter, stating that they can get involved in three steps. The first being

supporting Maison d’Ingrid. Donations to their financing campaign are poured into the building of

their new shelter in Cantley. Next, Andriamasy invites people to sensitize and educate themselves

through free training and information sessions across Gatineau. The last step is to get involved in

any way possible. Shelters and women’s organizations offer an array of conferences, workshops,

and information sessions year-round, and many of them will be in attendance at various kiosks

throughout the 12 days. The mobilization will end with a large march and vigil on December 6. The

march will begin at 11:00 am at 255 St-Antoine Street (Arena Pierre-Lafontaine) and will be

followed by a vigil in memory of missing and murdered women at park Mémoire d’Elles in front of

the Jeannine Boissonneault monument. A full schedule for the information sessions, conferences,

kiosk locations and workshops can be found at agir-outaouais.ca.

Andriamasy and Fradette say they hope that, above all, people gain awareness of this issue in the

span of the 12 days of action through their programming.

“Addressing domestic violence is the responsibility of us all,” added Fradette. “These women are

someone’s sisters, mothers, neighbours and work colleagues.” ​

With notes and edits from Mary Baskin and Lily Ryan