By Dylana Milobar

Kamloops Shoe Memorial returns to honour victims of violence against women

Dec 8, 2018 | 8:33 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Annual Shoe Memorial returns today at Heritage House, commemorating the lives of all women who have experienced violence, as well as missing and murdered women.

Lois Rugg, a member of the Kamloops & District Labour Council women’s committee, says today’s event was started back in the early 2000’s by Lyn Chasse, after her mother was murdered in an act of domestic violence.

“Basically what happens is we look for donations in the community for shoes. And on those shoes are the names of victims, of women who are murdered or missing,” She explains, “To remember their names and to emphasize the fact that these horrific incidents are still happening, and we need to take action.”

Shoes are used in the display as a symbolic representation of providing women with the ability to walk away from a bad relationship or run from a violent situation.

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The project not only honours the memory of those who lost their lives, but also aims to raise awareness around this issue.

Those wanting to see the display can come by Heritage House between noon and 4 p.m, and there will be a ceremony around 2 p.m. 

“We have Sandy Campbell coming to speak, and she’s a survivor and motivational speaker, and will speak for a few minutes,” Rugg says, “And we have Bill Sundhu, who is a human rights lawyer, will also be talking about the human rights issues, and we’ll be honouring Lyn Chasse, who did organize the event for at least 10 years.”

After the event, the shoes will be donated to the women’s shelter and other non-profit groups that provide services to women.

“It’s just important that we recognize the names of these women who have been killed or gone missing, and see if we can stop the violence.”