Women need Respect and Safety!

Our city is not safe for women, and we believe it all comes down to education.

What starts with jokes and verbal banter early on soon gives way to dehumanization. When boys are allowed to joke around and talk about women's body parts, and are able to be verbally abusive with impunity, we are giving them the message that this behaviour is ok.

When we teach our girls to laugh it off, we are teaching them that this behaviour is acceptable. We are also giving the boys the notion that somehow girls find the behaviour funny. Finally, it reinforces the notion that boys are superior to girls; that men are superior to women. That their right to "have fun" is somehow higher than women's rights to feel safe and respected. 
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How can we change this?

Just this year, a petition started at NWSS gathered over 750 signatures. The petition calls on adults to take reports seriously, to not "brush off" bad behaviour as "boys will be boys". It also highlights to girls that they DO have a voice and they can call out bad behaviour. But how can they call out bad behaviour without repercussions? How can we make our society SAFE for our girls and our women?

One of the students states, “Too many of us have had to put up with harassment and uncomfortable comments because we know most of the time if we try and speak up, all the rest of the boys will just make the situation worse. We have a right to feel safe in our school environment, we deserve respect, and we need the school to do something about it.”

What we are currently teaching our kids is simply not enough. What we are doing is not enough to make our girls feel safe at school. What we are doing is not enough to make them safe when walking through a park by themselves, and it is certainly not enough to make them feel valued and EQUAL. ​

This matters to Monkey Rebel.

Every one of our members knows someone who has been harassed, or worse, has been harassed themselves, in the streets of our City. 

And as they grow into men...

What happens when these boys grow up?

Unfortunately, a simple look at the stats of our province show the increase of crimes against women, in particular femicides. Most of these crimes are perpetrated by men.  

How can we teach all men that a NO is a NO, that women deserve respect simply because they are human beings? In light of the #MeToo movement, many changes have already started happening in the world, but much, much more needs to be done. 

This campaign aims to educate, to shake things up, to rectify wrongs and to ultimately support women in New Westminster. 

Because if we don't stand together,
​then who will stand for us?