On 25 November 2018, people around the world wear a white ribbon as a symbol that they do not condone violence against women.
The White Ribbon Campaign is a global movement that was started in Canada by a group of men in 1991. The campaign has since been officially adopted by the United Nations as White Ribbon Day, the International Day for the Elimination of Men’s Violence Towards Women.
The campaign was first introduced to New Zealand by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in 2004, with the Families Commission becoming the lead agency in 2006.
This year, the White Ribbon Campaign was launched in Auckland on 12 November. In attendance were Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Domestic and Sexual Violence Jan Logie, representatives from government agencies, including New Zealand Police, and the Office of Ethnic Communities, who were among the White Ribbon ambassadors.
The event launched violence prevention videos in a range of languages including Te Reo, Hindi, Fijian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Samoan and Tongan. White Ribbon’s first female ambassador Anna Campbell (CE FAB Group) and ambassador Pejman Okhovat (CE The Warehouse Group), along with various other ambassadors from Auckland communities appear in the videos.
In New Zealand most violence by men against women takes place in the home – with an average of 14 women a year killed by their partners or ex-partners. Each year there are over 3,500 convictions recorded against men for assaults on women while only 20% of abuse cases are reported.
White Ribbon Day celebrates the many men who promote safe and healthy relationships within families and encourage men to challenge each other on abusive attitudes and behaviours.
You can get involved in the White Ribbon Campaign by visiting the website to find local community events to attend, access a range of tools and take the pledge.