Aura Freedom International

Aura Freedom International Aura Freedom works to end men's violence against women/girls and human trafficking.

06/18/2026

Ottawa Police officers have been targeting women using their internal databases and messaging vulnerable victims of crimes in an attempt to develop intimate relationships. There have also been reports of members making sexually themed comments directly to women in the service in the workplace.

This is not a new issue, nor one isolated to the Ottawa police force.

Our Executive Director Marissa Kokkoros joined CTV Your Morning Ottawa to discuss long term solutions to this age-old problem, and what it means to our public safety.

Thank you for having us.

Ottawa Police officers have been targeting women using their internal databases and messaging vulnerable victims of crim...
06/17/2026

Ottawa Police officers have been targeting women using their internal databases and messaging vulnerable victims of crimes in an attempt to develop intimate relationships. There have also been reports of members making sexually themed comments directly to women in the service in the workplace.

This is not a new issue, nor one isolated to the Ottawa police force.

Our Executive Director Marissa Kokkoros will be on CTV Your Morning Ottawa on June 18 at 7:15AM to discuss this issue, and what it means to our public safety.

Tune in and join the conversation!

What if every daughter could grow up free from violence? This Father's Day, we're thinking about the future every father...
06/15/2026

What if every daughter could grow up free from violence?

This Father's Day, we're thinking about the future every father hopes for.

A future where daughters and all loved ones can live safely and without fear. One where boys can grow up free from harmful expectations, embracing respect, equality, and compassion.

At Aura Freedom, we know that a future like this is possible… but only if we invest in prevention today.

Your support helps deliver prevention education, training, advocacy for systemic change, and works toward a future all women and girls can live safely.

This year, honour a father,or father figure with more than a tie. 👔 Help build a safer future for women, girls and gender-diverse people (- that’s what Dad would really want!)

Visit aurafreedom.org/donate to dedicate your donation. Once you fill in your information, click ‘Add a Dedication’ where you can provide your honouree’s email address. Your honouree will receive a custom Father’s Day e-card with your personal message, letting them know a gift was made in their name.

A tie lasts a season. Your impact can last generations 👔💙

06/11/2026

We’re so very proud of us and so happy to share that our Behind Closed Doors campaign has won an award from 🖤

The Clios are incredibly competitive, and seeing our pink doors recognized on a global stage is such a huge achievement for a grassroots initiative.

When we say this was a grassroots campaign, we mean one of the doors actually came from our Executive Director’s home. And the entire campaign was unfunded.

Public education is one of our pillars at Aura Freedom International and it’s not easy to educate people on something they have tolerated, normalized, and ignored for so long.

All my love and thanks go to Forsman & Bodenfors, now 72andSunny for all the support and care they put into this very important campaign on Intimate Partner and Familial Femicide in Canada, which is still informing and educating the community on femicide prevention and opening the door to some very necessary conversations. Through this campaign, we’ve also had numerous survivors reach out for support, whom we were able to refer to appropriate services and safety planning.

Check out the full award details at the link in our bio.

For more information, visit aurafreedom.org/behind-closed-doors

06/09/2026

As Toronto and Vancouver prepare to welcome thousands of visitors during FIFA World Cup 2026, community organizations in both cities have been uniting to ensure safety for women and gender diverse people is part of the public safety conversation.

Today, Aura Freedom is proud to feature “The Space Between”, a Public Service Announcement by our sisters at in Vancouver, which raises awareness of coercive control and the realities many survivors experience behind closed doors.

Set during a World Cup match, the film explores coercive control through the eyes of a survivor. Rather than depicting physical violence, the piece focuses on fear, monitoring, isolation, tension, and survival behaviours that often precede escalation and even femicide. The film asks viewers to recognize abuse before violence escalates and challenges the tendency to dismiss warning signs that are often hidden in plain sight.

This campaign highlights themes similar to those of Aura Freedom’s own Behind Closed Doors campaign, which was launched in 2025 and continues to support the community through prevention education and femicide risk assessment information. Visit aurafreedom.org/behind-closed-doors.

Aura Freedom would like to highlight, once again, that Violence Against Women is not collateral damage. Instead, its prevention must be embedded in every major sporting event— not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental element of public safety and city planning.

Major sporting events don’t “cause” gender-based violence, but they can amplify the conditions that allow it to happen.R...
06/09/2026

Major sporting events don’t “cause” gender-based violence, but they can amplify the conditions that allow it to happen.

Research has consistently linked major sporting events to short-term increases in intimate partner violence, with studies showing spikes of 26–38% on match days. These risks are rooted in broader systems of sexism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, colonialism, and inequality—not in sport itself.

As Toronto prepares to host the FIFA World Cup, we must recognize that gender-based violence is NOT collateral damage. Women, girls, and gender-diverse people deserve to be safe everywhere—from homes and public transit to fan zones, nightlife spaces, and stadiums.

Major sporting events also present a powerful opportunity to engage men and boys in violence prevention, model healthy masculinities, and promote respect and inclusion. Yet targeted GBV prevention was not prioritized in Toronto’s World Cup Human Rights Action Plan.

Gender-based violence prevention must be embedded in every major sporting event—not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental part of public safety and city planning.

Together, we can ensure the World Cup is remembered not only for what happened on the field, but for how we came together to create safer communities for everyone.

06/08/2026

We’re hard to reel in 💥

Sneak preview of our Headlines & Harm recap video, coming soon ⚡️🩵

06/04/2026

To kick off Indigenous History Month, Aura Freedom attended the Hot Docs screening of Thunderheart as a tribute to the remarkable life of Graham Greene.

As an organization working to end violence against women, amplifying the messages of Indigenous women’s organizations and community leaders is embedded in our work, not an afterthought. We will continue to do all we can to support the eradication of violence against Indigenous women across Turtle Island.

That entails not only advocating for the calls to action of the MMIWG and Truth & Reconcilitation reports to be implemented, but also enjoying, sharing and amplifying the brilliance of Indigenous culture and art.

Visit our website to explore our collaborations with the on our Femicide Knowledge Hub, our GBV Resource Centre, and our Human Trafficking Info Hub.

Stay tuned for more Indigenous art and culture features during the month of June.

06/01/2026

Aura Freedom was proud to participate in the City of Toronto’s 12th Annual Toronto Newcomer Day at Nathan Phillips Square

Throughout the day, our team connected with newcomers to Canada, welcomed them into the community, and shared information about rights, safety, and the supports and resources available to them. We know that navigating unfamiliar systems and services can feel overwhelming, especially for those experiencing or at risk of gender-based violence.

The experience of being a newcomer, compounded by intersecting forms of systemic oppression, contributes to disproportionate rates of gender-based violence and heightened barriers to safety, support, and justice for newcomer women and girls.

At Aura Freedom, we believe that all women, girls, and gender-diverse people deserve to feel informed, supported, and safe while building a new life in Canada. Creating opportunities for connection, education, and access to resources is an important part of building safer and more inclusive communities for everyone.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to learn more about our work and engage in meaningful conversations with our team 💜

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506 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON
M5S 1Y3

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