Violence is a topic that surrounds our world, attacking the most vulnerable people. Shakti Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to opening discussion about issues that affect women, children and families, believes that education is one way to prevent violence. 

Community cafes, where people of all walks of life cooperate and learn about a variety of topics, are one way that Shakti Society gets people talking about the issues. On Jan. 28, the society hosted a cafe titled “What is violence against women: Why should you care?” The goal was to create awareness and empower people to be strong and educate society about respect for one another under any circumstance.

“Violence impacts all of us- the crimes around us, the way women are portrayed in the media, how we raise our daughters. The differences in several social norms are due to the violence against women,” says Sonia Andhy, founder of Shakti. Andhy also works as a family counsellor, social worker, activist and currently hosts and produces a show on Joy TV called Hamaara Andaaz.

Gurpreet Bains, Annie Ohana and the girls that came to a Shakti Society cafe addressing violence against wome. | Photo courtesy of the Shakti Society

Shakti for strength

Shakti is a Sanskrit term that means strength and power. Shakti is the Hindu mother Goddess representing the universal principles of energy, power and creativity, and a dynamic agent of change. This term has been the inspiration for this cause.

“The stigma and shame associated with disclosure and the fear of rejection from immediate family creates many insurmountable barriers for women for accessing help and healing. … I wanted to create a society that would address the current needs of our community,” says Andhy.

Another positive side of these community cafes is the space to empower women to see how abuse can start passively; it gives the attendants knowledge and support to step up and not let this to happen. For this occasion, the speakers were Kiran Kang, a STV counsellor from Diversecity, and Annie Ohana, a teacher of social justice at L.A. Matheson secondary school in Surrey.

Ohana has a background in criminology and political science and has always been involved with social justice topics. Her years working made her realize the need for education on how to prevent any type of abuse. She has been involved with Shakti previously but this was her very first time as a speaker.

Thanks to her work at L.A. Matheson School she was able to invite a group of grade 12 students for their social justice class project. Working through activities, the attendants identified causes and behaviors that can lead to abuse in their communities, culture or even families.

Engagement

An important value of the community cafes is the fact that the audience feels engaged and shows their desire to commit and take action to stop sexual violence. They also provide the space for younger audiences to understand the importance of respect for every culture, gender and age at a very early age.

“It is all about keeping that positive cycle going,” says Ohana.

Ohana is grateful to see the involvement of young girls bringing these topics to family dinners or reaching out to their community and becoming advocates for this cause voluntarily.

“They listen to the information, they take it home with them and they take it to their communities as well – that’s what we look for when we bring them to these community cafes,” says Ohana, glad to know there are many students coming back to these events.

Violence against women and sexual abuse are topics that hit us every day. According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, 67 per cent of Canadians know a woman who has experienced physical or sexual abuse, while on any given day, over 3,300 are forced to stay in emergency shelters because of the threat of domestic violence.