Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: White Ribbon
On the international day for the elimination of violence towards women, White Ribbon are sharing the stories of everyday New Zealanders who have experienced or perpetrated violence.
“We need to understand what works,” says White Ribbon Manager Rob McCann, and conversely, we need to ensure we don’t keep doing things that won’t change the dial. Sometimes the best way to understand, is by listening to those people who have used violence, or experienced it.”
“Too often these stories are not told until there’s a death, or the violence is connected to someone famous. That has to change.”
To demonstrate that transformation is possible, White Ribbon are sharing people’s experiences and handing these stories to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence on Parliament’s steps on White Ribbon Day. You can view the event on White Ribbon’s Facebook page, 25 November at 1:00pm.
“We want to encouraging New Zealanders to upload their own stories, about what helped them get through, or helped them to stop using violence”, says Mr McCann. You can upload you story at www.whiteribbon.org.nz
This White Ribbon Day we are not holding large-scale events throughout New Zealand due to covid to ensure everyone is kept safe. The charity has canceled their annual White Ribbon Ride which travels the whole of Aotearoa for the second year running, while transport snarl-ups are preventing resources leaving Auckland.
“These things are minor inconveniences,” says Mr McCann. “Following the August 18th lockdown, four women were killed by men in a single fortnight. That’s the kind of problem that needs to be fixed.”
“When you consider that women made up 92% of those assaulted by an ex-partner and 100% of those sexually assaulted by an ex-partner in 2020, the inconveniences we are facing are minor. There’s a lot of talk about freedoms at the moment, but we have half the population experiencing a disproportionate amount of the violence. In fact in 2020, 98% of sexual violent crime proceedings were against men. This is an epidemic that it seems New Zealand simply doesn’t want to talk about.”
“You can help by taking an active role in violence prevention. Learn how to call other men in, rather than just calling them out. Learn how to promote Healthy Masculinity and Respectful Relationships and ensure everyone you know has a working understanding of consent.
“The alternative is to wait for another statistic, and then tell the story.”
To find out more, all White Ribbon’s educational resources are freely available at www.whiteribbon.org.nz
