'It needs to stop': dozens join domestic violence awareness walk in Winnipeg

Dozens of people joined the Bear Clan Patrol's domestic violence walk to raise awareness on Nov. 3, 2022. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

Dozens of people took to the streets in Downtown Winnipeg to raise awareness of domestic violence.

On Thursday night, the Bear Clan Patrol hosted a domestic violence walk to raise awareness. The night started at the Manitoba Legislative Building, and included a candlelight vigil and drumming.

The night is personal for Angela Klassen, coordinator and community liaison for Bear Clan Patrol.

"Myself and a few other ladies in our group, we are all survivors of domestic violence and this is a very important cause for us," she said.

"We want to show our community that we do care, and this is one way we can show that we do care."

The walk continued from the Legislative Building to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Klassen said a lot has changed since she was a teenager. She said at the time, domestic violence was not talked about.

"You just shut up and you lived with it, because that is what you had to do," she said. "But now in today's day and age we don't have to be quiet anymore. We can speak loud and we can speak proud."

She said events like Thursday night's domestic violence walk are so important to show support to survivors.

"It is important to make folks aware that in today's day and age that domestic violence is still going on," she said. "We need to speak up about it, and we need to talk about it. It needs to stop."