Please join us in this year’s virtual Remember Me Walk from October 1 to October 31, 2021. Due to Covid, the walk is virtual for a second year in a row, but if it were in person we would be hosting it on Saturday, October 23rd.
Location: Wherever you are!
How to participate in the virtual Remember Me Walk
1. Pick a date between Oct 1 and Oct 31 to walk in honour of a woman, or all women, who have died due to domestic violence.
2. Select a purple bench as a walk destination – this is not necessary but strongly encouraged.
3. Take a selfie on your walk and post it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with any of the hashtags #barbsbench #remembermewalk #SilentWitnessNS
Feel free to show the image of the Remember Me silhouette in your selfie, either on another screen or printed out, or as a separate image in your post.
4. Share the location of the photo, when safe to do so, so that we can all see how far this walk reaches.
5. Make any donations through the Silent Witness Canada Helps portal, noting Barb’s Bench in the message.
Why We Walk
We at Silent Witness Nova Scotia honour women who lost their lives to intimate partner violence.Every year, around the anniversary of the death of Barbara Baillie, we walk to remember.Barbara Baillie was murdered on October 19, 1990 by her husband of almost 25 years in their home in Spryfield Nova Scotia.Her children have partnered with Silent Witness Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Advisory Council of the Status of Women to launch the Barb’s Bench Project in 2016.
Barb’s Bench Project
Purple benches are placed in communities in memory of Barbara Baillie and other women who lost their lives at the hands of their partners.These benches all have commemorative plaques that feature an emergency hot line number for anyone experiencing domestic violence.The first bench was placed in Shubie Park in Dartmouth, NS. There are now 5 in Nova Scotia. Walk participants are invited to raise funds so more communities can place purple benches to raise awareness of the impact of domestic violence.