More than 40 members of the Queen’s community marched across campus recently as part of the Moose Hide Campaign – an Indigenous-led, grassroots initiative that unites men and boys in efforts to end gender-based violence against women and children nationwide.

Organized by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII), the event brought together supporters for a solidarity walk from Richardson Hall to Agnes Benedickson Field where speakers shared remarks and attendees reflected on the importance of the campaign and anti-violence broadly.

“The importance of ending gender-based violence cannot be understated,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, who was among the event’s speakers. “Statistics indicate that at least one-in-four women experience sexual violence during their time at Canadian universities, but this underrepresents the true scope of the issue. Queen’s is committed to supporting the Moose Hide Campaign and to creating a safe and inclusive campus for all students.”

Supporters were welcomed by Aaron St. Pierre, Director of the Four Directions Indigenous Student Center who addressed those gathered, expressing support for the Moose Hide Campaign and the institution’s ongoing commitments to action.

Queen’s first participated in the annual campaign – held each May 11 – last year. The university has since enrolled in Moose Hide’s Ambassador Campus Program, which seeks to deepen post-secondary commitments to reconciliation and anti-violence work, while connecting it to larger global initiatives.

“We’re very pleased to be joining Moose Hide’s Ambassador Campus Program, as it will enhance our commitments and ongoing efforts to nurture an increasingly safe and welcoming campus for everyone,” says St. Pierre. “Furthermore, our increased participation will further align us to important national and international initiatives like the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action, the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are looking forward to engaging more deeply with these important activities.”

The university’s Moose Hide Campaign walk comes one month after Queen’s OII partnered with Indigenous artist Jaime Black on an expanded exhibition of Black’s REDress Project. More than 50 red dresses were installed in outdoor spaces across campus to raise awareness and commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people.

The Moose Hide Campaign is one of several cross-campus initiatives in place to address gender-based violence. The Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO) continues to offer the Gender Based Violence and Bystander Intervention Program, which educates staff and students on topics such as consent and sexual violence. The HREO also recently partnered with VESTA, an online tool used to record and report instances of sexual violence on Queen’s campus.

Visit the Office of Indigenous Initiatives website to learn more about their work, and visit the Moose Hide Campaign website to learn more about the initiative.