Qualitative study reveals emotional, structural, and colonial stressors among anti-violence activists in Canada, highlighting deep intra-community tensions and personal trauma.
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.
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Nicolette Little (2026) studied this question.
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