Honouring a loved one's memory while comforting others facing similar grief.
The family of Trina Hunt is hoping to bring awareness to the issue of gender-based violence towards women and girls by hosting a candlelight vigil in Port Moody this weekend.
The Hunts are still waiting for any development in the 48-year-old's murder investigation.
"Some days we have hope, some days we have no hope. It does help to connect with others," said Jennifer Ibbott, Hunt’s sister-in-law, in an earlier interview with the Tri-City News.
"We feel driven to do something. [...] With this event, what we hope to do is create awareness, start conversations, and just let it be known this is a big problem in our society and we need to bring more awareness."
The vigil is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 28), 3:15 p.m. in Rocky Point Park.
Interested residents and visitors are encouraged to bring their own candle and lighter.
It'll be a continuation of the global awareness campaign known as 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence that began on Thursday (Nov. 25) — International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women — and ends Dec. 10, known as Human Rights Day.
According to the website, it was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
Speakers at the Port Moody event will include representatives from Battered Women’s Support Services and a forensic psychologist.
STILL WAITING
Ibbott explained Hunt will be very much on their minds and on many who attend the vigil as testimonials and experiences surrounding violence are set to be shared.
However, the family is struggling with trauma, and seeks an arrest and charges long after her remains were publicly confirmed on May 1 to be found at Silver Creek near Hope, B.C.
"I don’t know how we can ever just rest without knowing — until IHIT [Integrated Homicide Investigation Team] has come to some closure," Ibbott said.
However, she explains raising awareness about gender-based violence has become an important touchstone for the family, a way to connect with others and to share information about this topic which is not often discussed publicly.
Hunt was reported missing from Port Moody on Jan. 18, sparking a massive community search.
Her disappearance was reported by her husband, who told police he came home to find she was gone.
No further information has been revealed by IHIT, although the family is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to a charge in the case.
- with files from Diane Strandberg, Tri-City News
