For Immediate Release: March On St. John’s announces Solidarity Rally

Rally to End Family Separation
June 30, 2018 – 1 p.m.

In the spirit of equality, diversity, and inclusivity, Canadians across the country will rally in protest of the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance and Family Separation policy in the United States – and to demand a strong response from our government here in Canada.

Despite the Executive Order signed by Mr. Trump last week, there is no plan to reunite the 2300 children who have been separated from their families since early April. The administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy is still in effect, meaning that all undocumented asylum seekers continue to be detained. Adherence to this policy means that the threat of continued family separation is very real.

The Rally in St. John’s will be held at 1 PM on JUNE 30th, 2018, at the COLONIAL BUILDING.

The Rally will target Canada’s response on three fronts:

1. A demand for a strong official statement from Canada on the human rights violations going on the U.S.

2. A demand for Canada’s withdrawal from, or the elimination of, our Third Safe Country Agreement with the U.S.

3. A demand that Canada examine and fix our own family separation policies, which affect both migrants and Indigenous families.

Speakers in St. John’s will include:

Details are still coming together – expect three speakers, and a musical guest TBA. Confirmed speakers:

Barbara Barker is a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. She has worked across the country, including in Indigenous communities along BC’s Highway 16 or, more familiarly, the Highway of Tears and the Downtown East Side in Vancouver. As a staff lawyer with the NL Legal Aid Commission, Barbara has worked in the Provincial Director’s Office, taking files all over the Island and The Big Land, including Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Nain. She is a member of the Law Society of NL’s Indigenous Education & Action Committee, as well as its Education Committee, and serves on the Expert Advisory Panel for the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. She was recently employed by Memorial University as the Aboriginal Cultural Education Coordinator in the Aboriginal Resource Office, and presently works as the Legal Services Solicitor for the NL Legal Aid Commission.

City Councillor Maggie Burton grew up in Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador. She moved to St. John’s in 2009 to study music at Memorial University. She is a musician, violin teacher, poet, and leadership coach. She was elected to St. John’s City Council in 2017. Maggie is a mother of two young children, Jack and Ursula, who teach her so much every day.

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For More Information:

March On Canada is a national, grassroots, activist network and evolved from the Women’s March movement of 2017.
Visit us at:
https://marchoncanada.ca
https://www.facebook.com/cdnmarchon/

March On St. John’s:
https://www.facebook.com/MarchOnSJ/

Media Contact, St. John’s:
Elisabeth de Mariaffi
(709) 749-2139
edemariaffi@gmail.com

This document and its contents are the property of March On St. John’s. Any unauthorized reproduction of this document, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

SHOP releases campaign targeting stigma against sex workers

It’s time we turned the tide on how we talk about sex workers.

The right words can make a huge difference. They can help enforce self-worth, respect, and humanity — especially when it comes to the lives of sex workers. Words count.

The Safe Harbour Outreach Project (SHOP) exists to advocate for the human rights of sex workers in and around St. John’s, and across Newfoundland and Labrador. The women we serve have continuously identified that stigma creates huge barriers to accessing their basic human rights. The collective fight for the human rights of sex workers is a new phenomenon in this province and there are still many challenges to changing the discourse and public perception around the people who engage in sex work.

June 14 has been recognized as a National Day of Action for Sex Worker Rights in Canada to combat dangerous laws and narratives, and today we launch ‘Words Count,’ a bold awareness campaign to make people stop and take stock of the language used to stigmatize sex workers and deny women their agency. Whore, hooker, prostitute, slut. Would you want to be called these words? These and many other weighted words bear down on women in our community every day – women who are parents, volunteers, students, neighbours, teachers, artists, safer sex experts, advocates, and members of our community.

Heather Jarvis, SHOP’s Program Coordinator, on sex work stigma:
“Sex work stigma has real world consequences. It is used to justify actions that infringe on the human rights of sex workers every day, making women’s lives more hazardous and unjust, and at its worst making sex workers disposable. The people we work with are intelligent, resourceful, critical, funny, kind, loving, creative, and come with skills and knowledge. Sex workers are a part of our community. Sex workers belong in our community.”

What can you do?
Challenge discrimination, stereotypes and misconceptions against sex workers, their families and partners. Download and print our campaign poster and help spread awareness in the community. Start a conversation about what you can do to support sex workers in your city. Purchase a ‘Words Count’ t-shirt, with proceeds going to support the work of SHOP. Watch the ‘Words Count’ video below and share it on social media with #EndTheStigmaNL.

CW: This video contains harsh language around sexism, sexuality, stereotyping, and violence and might not be suitable for all ages or individuals. Please engage with it at your own pace.

Vanessa V., local sex worker, on the ‘Words Count’ campaign:
“This is a perfect collage of the stigma that sex workers get because this is how we’re treated by society in general – overwhelmingly negative and with judgment, putting us down as if we’re ‘nobody’ or making us into a ‘bombshell,’ ‘trophy’ stereotype. Ultimately, we’re still made to be a punchline and not seen for the real people we are. The people who say these sorts of things aren’t sex workers, they aren’t my clients, they’re people who are looking at sex work from the outside.”

Take responsibility for your words and your actions. Help end the stigma. Support the Safe Harbour Outreach Project.

Media Contact
Heather Jarvis
Program Coordinator
Safe Harbour Outreach Project
Tel. 709.771.1077
heather@sjwomenscentre.ca