This post originally appeared on Huffington Post, as part of Mina;s ongoing blog series dedicated to raising awarness about the issues facing women and girls in Canada. 

Rise Up! Speak Out! Stand Up!”

Earlier this week, I heard women and men from across Canada screaming this at a One Billion Rising event in Toronto. Women and men coming together to speak up about violence and abuse towards women; to stand up for women’s safety and to demand that domestic violence and sexual assault stops.

And I was inspired.

“I came here scared and confused, they made me realize that I am worthy of so much more." This is the voice of a woman staying at a shelter in Canada.   

The stories from Shelter Voices speak to us (Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses first pan-Canadian annual survey– part of the Global Count of Women’s Shelters) – they pull us in and make us care. I love to hear women in shelters tell us how important the services are and how much better their lives are because shelter workers are there to help them. I especially like the phrase ‘I came here a caterpillar and left a butterfly’.