White Ribbon Day
25 November
White Ribbon Day is the international day when men wear a white ribbon to show they don’t tolerate or condone men’s violence towards women.
The White Ribbon campaign was started by a men’s movement in Canada in 1991 and 25 November has been officially adopted by the United Nations as its International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
New Zealand has a high rate of men’s violence towards women. In 2004 there were just over 3,100 convictions recorded against men for assaults on a woman and a 2001 national victims of crime study showed that close to one in five women experienced sexual assault or sexual interference at some point in their lives. Last year police recorded 63,000 incidents involving family violence.
In 2006 dozens of government, social service and voluntary agencies as well as UNIFEM (the UN Development Fund for Women) came together to raise awareness of White Ribbon Day and the week leading up to it.
We want men to challenge each other on attitudes and behaviour that condone, support or tolerate violence towards women.
MPs suppporting the White Ribbon Day message
What You Can Do
- wear a white ribbon to show your support
- challenge attitudes and behaviour which condone or tolerate violence
- encourage others in your organisation, family/whanau, community, street or workplace to wear a white ribbon
- organise a local event to speak out against men’s violence towards women
- spread the word about the White Ribbon campaign and its aims
- support men who are caring and respectful towards women.
www.whiteribbon.org.nz has more information and a calendar of White Ribbon events around the country.
Participants in the 2006 campaign, Porirua
