The news continues to demonstrate that the issues of violence, exclusion and social and gender-based inequality persist. Unfortunately, the numbers show that violence against women and girls is still far from zero and prove that our actions continue to be necessary and relevant.
This is why the Women’s Y Foundation of Montreal is launching its Objective Zero campaign. This campaign aims to finance our close work with thousands of women, girls and gender-diverse persons. Through our multi-service offerings, we support them as needed, helping them build a better, more egalitarian and safer future.
Numbers are far from zero
- 78% of domestic violence victims are women. Each year at the YWCA Montreal, we see the prevalence of domestic violence across all the programs and services we offer. In 2021-2022, over 70% of women supported by our housing services and over 20% of participants in our employability programs were victims of violence.
- Almost 9 out of 10 victims of sexual violence are women or girls. 33 % of women report having been a victim of sexual assault from the age of 15 or older. Youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to be victims of sexual assault.
- On average, men earn 16.1% more than women annually. If we look at the average pension benefit income, the gap is 25%.
- Over 40% of single-parent, women-led households live below the poverty line. Note that 84% of single parents are women.
- Close to five times more women than men spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
- 42% of online hate is based on sexism and misogyny.
- Over 30% of women and girls between the ages of 15 and 34 years have been victims of sexual cyberviolence
Our dream is reaching zero. Zero as in zero violence against women and girls, zero problems for women to access housing, zero sexual relations without consent, zero online harassment. In short, zero gender inequality or gender-based violence on Montreal Island.
Help us reach Objective Zero