International Women’s Day Community Petition

Toronto, Ontario | March 8, 2026

Title: Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls:
 A Community Call to Centre the Voices of Marginalized Women in Policies to End Gender-Based Violence

Background and Problem Statement

On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2026, grassroots organizations across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area are coming together as a united movement of women’s rights advocates, survivors, queer communities, families, youth, refugees, immigrants, professionals, allies, and community leaders.

We gather under the UN Women International Women’s Day theme:
 “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

We also recognize the powerful message of this year’s community theme:

“Give to Gain.”

Meaningful progress toward gender equality requires governments, institutions, and communities to invest in women’s safety, rights, and leadership. When we invest in women, we strengthen our communities and our society as a whole.

We recognize and appreciate the efforts made by the City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada to address gender-based violence and promote gender equality.

However, many women, especially the most vulnerable, continue to face systemic barriers that expose them to violence, exploitation, and exclusion.

These include:

• Black and racialized women
• Refugee, immigrant, and newcomer women
• Indigenous women
• Women living with HIV
• Transgender and queer women
• Women experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness
• Women facing unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity

These communities often face racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, trafficking, and economic inequality, which limit their access to safety, social services, employment, and housing.

Despite these realities, grassroots organizations led by marginalized women, particularly Black, refugee, immigrant, and queer women, are often excluded from decision-making spaces and remain severely underfunded, even though they are doing critical frontline work to support survivors and communities.

Why Action Is Needed

Across Toronto, Ontario, and Canada, vulnerable women continue to face:

• Rising rates of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation
• Femicides and hate crimes
• Housing insecurity and homelessness
• Food insecurity and rising cost of living
• Economic inequality and unemployment
• Immigration-related vulnerabilities
• Anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination
• Stigma against women living with HIV
• Discrimination against transgender and queer women
• Labour and sex trafficking 

Without intentional policies and resources that centre marginalized women, these inequalities will continue.

Our Demands

We call on the following decision-makers to take meaningful action:

Mayor Olivia Chow – City of Toronto
Hon. Charmaine A. Williams. –  Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity
Hon. Rechie Valdez – Federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality

We call on all levels of government to:

1. Centre Marginalized Women in Decision-Making
Create formal advisory councils/committees and consultation platforms for Black, racialized, refugee, immigrant, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ women to participate in shaping policies, programs and funding frameworks addressing gender equality and gender-based violence.

2. Fund Grassroots Women-Led Organizations
Provide sustainable funding and capacity support for grassroots organizations led by Black, racialized, refugee, immigrant, and queer women that are already supporting vulnerable communities.

3. Apply a Gender Lens to All Policies
Ensure policies addressing housing, employment, public safety, immigration, and social services apply a gender and intersectional lens recognizing the unique vulnerabilities faced by marginalized women.

4. Invest in Safety and Economic Security
Increase investments in:

• Affordable housing and emergency shelters
• Food security programs
• Survivor support services
• Employment and economic empowerment initiatives

5. Strengthen Protections Against Gender-Based Violence
Strengthen policies and programs that prevent gender-based violence and ensure justice for victims of femicides, trafficking, and hate crimes.

6. Support Survivor-Led and Community-Led Solutions
Partner with and fund community-led initiatives that address violence, promote healing, and empower survivors.

7. Engage Men and Boys as Allies
Support programs that engage men and boys as allies and leaders in preventing violence and promoting gender equality.

Petition Statement

We, the undersigned community members, organizations, and allies, call on the City of Toronto, the Ontario Provincial Government, and the Government of Canada to centre the voices, leadership, and needs of marginalized women in policies, programs, and funding decisions aimed at ending gender-based violence and advancing gender equality.

We believe that no woman should be left behind and that justice, safety, and dignity must be accessible to all women and girls.

Call to Action

On this International Women’s Day, we stand together to demand rights, justice, and action for ALL women and girls.

Join us in calling for:

• Inclusive leadership
  Equitable funding
  Stronger protections
  A future where every woman can live with dignity and safety.

Sign the petition and stand with us.