'It's an epidemic': North Point Douglas Women's Centre wraps up 2-month campaign to end domestic violence

After a two-month campaign of weekly marches, the North Point Douglas Women's Centre walked its hour-long circuit through downtown Winnipeg for the final time on Wednesday, ending a nine-week push to break the cycle of domestic violence.

Every Wednesday since the beginning of October, centre staff and supportershavewalked the same route from the Austin Street centre to the Exchange District and back armed with banners to raise awareness about abuse at home.

"Family violence, domestic violence, it's an epidemic," said Ashlyn Stevenson, who organized the event and works at the centre. "It's happened for so many hundreds of years, and it needs to stop. We need to break that cycle together."

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November is domestic violence awareness month in Canada, Stevenson said, and October is the American equivalent. Stevenson said the group chose to recognize both months because domestic violence is a problem on both sides of the border.

About two dozen demonstrators came out on Wednesday. Stevenson said the group varies in size every week.

She said she organized the event because she didn't want her children to be affected by domestic violence the way she was.

"I want my kids to grow up in a healthy environment, I want them to live in a healthy community," Stevenson said. "Without us all together helping to break this violence, it's not going to stop."

The final march ended at the women's centre with a reception and a conversation about domestic violence.

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