Local support for Moose Hide Campaign

Reaching local men and boys was a big focus of a free lunch held last week by Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services (KSCS), where the family violence action group shared how the message of the Moose Hide Campaign fits in when discussing gender-based violence.

“Most of the time we identify women as victims at the hands of male partners, and that is predominantly still the case, so we really do need to engage men and boys to be able to stand up and speak out about it,” said Rebecca D’Amico, KSCS’s clinical supervisor of secondary prevention.

“It’s also important to remember that it’s not always just men and boys who are the perpetrators, they can also be victims. So, I think in general we need to engage men and boys in being part of the solution.”

The Moose Hide Campaign is an annual campaign held on May 15, which seeks to raise awareness about the increased risk of violence that Indigenous women and girls face. The day seeks to engage men and boys in talking about gender-based violence, and supporters are encouraged to wear moose hide pins, which are small squares of moose hide affixed to clothing.

To date, more than five million pins have been distributed to communities, schools, and workplaces, and KSCS made sure to distribute pins at the event and in areas around the community in the lead up to the Moose Hide Campaign day, which was the same day as the KSCS event.

About 150 people came through for the event, which was catered by Rezican Tacos. Representatives from the family violence action group shared a bit about the Moose Hide Campaign with attendees, explaining important statistics about gender-based violence and sharing resources about local organizations that support survivors.

“We wanted to do something here to raise awareness on gender-based violence from an Indigenous perspective,” D’Amico said.

“We were really happy with the turnout.”

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