Saturday saw the men of London take to Victoria Park in support of domestic abuse victims. London Police and Firefighters were amongst the crowd of male supporters walking in bright, red heels as a literal expression of putting themselves in women’s shoes. The event was well attended and donations were collected in support of Anova, formerly Women’s Community House and Sexual Assault Centre London. As men strut their stuff to the tune of “Walk Like an Egyptian” women attending held signs of “thank you” for their support and outreach.
“Woman Abuse is Not Just a Women’s Issue. Woman abuse does not just affect women. It affects the men who care about them, their families, their children, their friends, their co-workers and the community,” states the Walk a Mile website.
Walk a Mile is an annually held event that focuses on raising awareness about domestic abuse as, “One in every four women is abused. That means someone you know, someone you care about, has been or may become a victim of abuse. It may be your mother, your sister, your friend, your coworker or your daughter” states Anova.
The event ended with a party for attendees including music, food, and prizes in an effort to turn the outreach event into a fun, family day-out. Many participants showed their support online through tweets while poking fun over the discomfort their new shoes brought:
Had a great time supporting @AnovaFuture at Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. It was awesome to catch up with friends and to chat with London North Centre's Provincial and Federal MP's, @KernaghanT and @PFragiskatos. #onpoli #ldnont #BelieveSurvivors #BelieveWomen #myfeethurt pic.twitter.com/OAyiTMPyIe
— Shane Clarke (@ShaneForWard5) September 29, 2018
Had the privilege of walking with some @LPFFA members today for @AnovaFuture's #WalkAMileInHerShoes – great turnout for such a fantastic cause! #ldnont pic.twitter.com/ohRwTf6NmP
— Chris Scapinello (@chrisScapinello) September 29, 2018
Anova representatives were excited to see a strong turnout of supporters and believe it is “incredibly important to the community” to encourage men to be “man enough” to support women.
