TORONTO — Penny Krowitz and Barbara Landau were honoured last week at a multifaith event commemorating International Women’s Day,

The event was sponsored by the Women’s Intercultural Network (WIN) in co-operation with the Noor Cultural Centre, the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims, and Act to End Violence Against Women.

Krowitz, executive director of Act to End Violence Against Women, was awarded the International Women’s Day Award for her commitment to raising awareness, and working to eliminate violence against women everywhere.

Landau, a lawyer and psychologist, was given the Vara P. Singh Award, which is presented to a woman whose years of volunteer contributions have enhanced the quality of life for women of all cultural backgrounds. She is co-chair of the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims and a founding member of Together in Hope, a women’s Arab-Jewish dialogue group.

The event, which was organized to raise awareness about the nature and extent of violence against women in Canada, began with a dramatic presentation called “Unspoken Words,” which highlighted the faces and voices of abuse.

In her keynote address, which followed, Krowitz said violence against women can happen to anyone. “Abuse is an imbalance of power – physically, emotionally, sexually, financially or spiritually. It is damaging to the body and damaging to the soul, and the soul  [can be] damaged forever.

“Emotional abuse erodes a woman’s self-esteem, [but] some women do not recognize the behaviour as abuse, because they are not knowledgeable about it.”

Krowitz said that we must continue to speak out against violence against women. “We must educate boys and girls about healthy relationships, and teach young women that they deserve to be treated with respect.

“We must break the cycle of violence, so in the future, there can be a true celebration of International Women’s Day.”

Social worker Mubarka Alam, who has worked with abused women for more than 40 years, said they don’t have to feel alone. “There are resources available.”

She referred to 211, a directory of more than 20,000 community, social, health and government services. It can be accessed by dialing 211, or online at 211.ca.

Krowitz said the abuse of women is not really a women’s issue. “It’s a man’s issue, because they abuse more than women.”