- Activists play a crucial yet under-examined role in challenging discourses that normalise gender-based violence in Canada.
- They face emotional, physical, interpersonal and structural stresses from limited funding, competition, and confronting traumatic work; many activists are survivors.
- Black, Indigenous and People of Colour activists shoulder additional settler-colonial burdens, highlighting intersectional inequities within the anti-violence sector.
Violence Against Women. 2026 Aug 13:10778012261476675. doi: 10.1177/10778012261476675. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Activists play a crucial, yet under-examined, role in challenging the discourses that normalize gender-based violence in Canada. This article draws on semi-structured interviews with 13 diverse leading activists to explore the intra-community stressors they face. Adopting an intersectional lens, it examines the emotional, physical, interpersonal, and structural challenges that arise from limited funding, competition, and addressing a challenging topic (GBV). Many activists are also survivors navigating personal trauma. Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) participants report additional burdens tied to settler-colonial dynamics playing out in the sector. This study centers activists’ lived experiences to illuminate the complexities of anti-violence advocacy in Canada.
PMID:42593357 | DOI:10.1177/10778012261476675
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