Femicide rates are on the rise in Ontario, with over 35 femicides in Ontario since November 2024. For over a decade, the Wrapped in Courage Campaign (organized by the Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses) has been growing awareness of gender-based violence across Ontario through purple scarves.
2025 Wrapped in Courage Campaign
These scarves carry powerful meanings for everyone who wears them. During Woman Abuse Prevention Month and the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, many don a purple scarf to demonstrate their support for local services combating GBV. Others wear them as a signal to survivors that they are believed, valued, and never alone. For some, the scarf serves as a poignant reminder of those lost to femicide, reinforcing their commitment to creating change.
Join us in this movement! Wear a purple scarf and stand in solidarity with survivors and advocates. Together, we can raise awareness and make a lasting impact. Let your voice be heard—show your support today!
Wrapped in Courage: Armagh and Embrave Call for Action After Brampton Femicide
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saturday November 1st, 2025Armagh and Embrave Call on Peel Region to Take Action Against Gender-Based Violence Following Recent Femicide in Brampton
This November, during Woman Abuse Prevention Month, Armagh and Embrave: Agency to End Violence are urging all community members across Peel Region to take collective action against the alarming rates of femicide and gender-based violence (GBV).
The call for change comes in the wake of the tragic femicide of 23-year-old Savannah Kulla in Brampton on October 21st 2025, a devastating reminder that gender-based violence continues to claim the lives of women and girls in our community.
Across Ontario, communities are joining together in the 2025 Wrapped in Courage Campaign under the theme “Threads of Action to End Gender-Based Violence.” The campaign reminds us that each of us holds a thread in the collective effort to weave awareness, compassion, and safety for survivors. Change is created—together.
Armagh and Embrave, both not-for-profit organizations providing vital services and supports to survivors of gender-based violence, are proud partners of the Wrapped in Courage Campaign, which has been raising awareness and promoting prevention since 2013.
The urgency has never been greater. According to the Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses (OAITH), 35 femicides have been reported in Ontario since Nov 26 2024—an average of one every six days. These are not isolated incidents but preventable tragedies that devastate families and communities. Both The Region of Peel and The City of Brampton declared gender-based violence an epidemic—a declaration that remains as relevant and necessary as ever today.
“Savannah Kulla’s death is not just another tragedy. It’s a searing indictment of the systems that continue to fail women. The violence we’ve long called an ‘epidemic’ is continuously claiming lives in our own communities. We cannot afford to stand still. Awareness is not enough. We need bold, coordinated, and sustained action, now. That means returning provincial funding for safe transitional housing. That means bail reform that prioritizes survivor safety. Every life stolen by violence is one too many. We owe it to Savannah, and every woman who’s been silenced to fight relentlessly for change. Together, we must act.” said Jannies Le, Executive Director of Armagh. said Jannies Le, Executive Director of Armagh.
“As femicide is recognized as an epidemic and three innocent lives have already been lost in the Region of Peel this year, now more than ever, service providers must come together in a proactive collaborative manner to better protect and support those at risk”. Said Andrine Johnson, CEO of Embrave: Agency to End Violence.
Throughout November, communities across Ontario will unite to support survivors, their children, and the front-line services that provide safety and hope.
Region of Peel Wrapped in Courage events will include:
Wrapped in Courage Flag Raising- Monday November 24, 10am Flagpole at Community Flagpole located on the West side of celebration square
Wrapped in Courage Flag Raising – Wednesday, November 26, 12:00 PM Community Flagpole at Ken Whillans Square, outside Brampton City Hall
City of Brampton Proclamation – Mayor Patrick Brown, on behalf of Brampton City Council will be declaring November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women during November 19th 2025 City Council Meeting at 9:30am.
Watch Live: https://www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/meetings-agendas/Pages/Welcome.aspx
The purple Wrapped in Courage scarves and flags serve as symbols of the courage it takes to speak out, to stand with survivors, and to work toward ending the epidemic of intimate partner violence and femicide in Ontario. They are a public declaration that survivors are not alone and that the community stands with them in solidarity and action.Find an event: www.wrappedincourage.ca/localevents Purchase a scarf: Armagh or Embrave Media Inquiries, please contact: Thanah SriskanthaCommunity Development Manager, Armagh thanah@armaghhouse.ca Rebecca PachecoDevelopment and Education Manager, Embrave: Agency to End Violence rebeccap@embrave.ca 
