By Deb Baxter - The Body ShopInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW)
White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man's massacre of fourteen women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.
Today hundreds of thousands of white ribbons are worn by men and women across Australia - men at work; men and women in all Australian police forces; men in national and local sporting matches and organisations; men in the media; men and women in politics; men in the defence forces; men and women in capital cities and in rural and regional Australia.
The campaign continues to go from strength to strength and now boasts more than 230 white ribbon Ambassadors Australia wide, as well as more events across the country and more organisations and individuals participating year upon year.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.
Today hundreds of thousands of white ribbons are worn by men and women across Australia - men at work; men and women in all Australian police forces; men in national and local sporting matches and organisations; men in the media; men and women in politics; men in the defence forces; men and women in capital cities and in rural and regional Australia.
The campaign continues to go from strength to strength and now boasts more than 230 white ribbon Ambassadors Australia wide, as well as more events across the country and more organisations and individuals participating year upon year.
Through partnership with the White Ribbon Foundation, The Body Shop continues to support White Ribbon Day by selling White Ribbon merchandise in all stores across Australia.
The campaign aims:
• To raise funds for the White Ribbon Foundation.
• Increase community awareness of the need to prevent violent and abusive relationships.
• Change community attitudes so that men and women have healthy relationships free of violence.
• Get as many customers (particularly men) purchasing and wearing White Ribbons as we can.
Why?
• Statistics indicate that one in four women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced violence by a partner. This is an issue that is of major concern in the world today, in Australia, in our local communities, and among our friends and families. Through our support of White Ribbon Day we have continued opportunity to bring this issue out from behind closed doors.
• A study found that family violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness for women aged 15-44 years. It is responsible for more of the disease burden than many well-known preventable risk factors such as smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. (Vic Health, 2004)
• There is no excuse for abuse.
• To raise funds for the White Ribbon Foundation.
• Increase community awareness of the need to prevent violent and abusive relationships.
• Change community attitudes so that men and women have healthy relationships free of violence.
• Get as many customers (particularly men) purchasing and wearing White Ribbons as we can.
Why?
• Statistics indicate that one in four women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced violence by a partner. This is an issue that is of major concern in the world today, in Australia, in our local communities, and among our friends and families. Through our support of White Ribbon Day we have continued opportunity to bring this issue out from behind closed doors.
• A study found that family violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness for women aged 15-44 years. It is responsible for more of the disease burden than many well-known preventable risk factors such as smoking, obesity or high blood pressure. (Vic Health, 2004)
• There is no excuse for abuse.
There are a number of ways you can get involved in White Ribbon Day
Send an E-Ribbon
Donate to the White Ribbon Foundation
Volunteer - Support is welcomed.
Visit your local The Body Shop to purchase a White Ribbon. All proceeds go direct to the White Ribbon Foundation.
Apparently the 'White Ribbon Campaign' is based on false information provided by Michael Flood which deliberately exagerated the level of male violence. Here is a retraction by the Australian broadcaster ABC:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Michael_Flood#Blatant_misrepresentation
ABC Editor's note; This story was amended on December 3, 2008 to acknowledge an error made by the authors of the White Ribbon Foundation report. The original story reported, in part, that "one in every three boys believe it is not a big deal to hit a girl". In fact, the author of the report, Dr Michael Flood, has advised the ABC that this finding was in fact wrong. Dr Flood's team transposed information in compilation of that part of the report. The original report by the National Crime Prevention 2001 study upon which much of the White Ribbon report was is based made no reference to "boys hitting girls" and referred only to "girls hitting boys".
Clearly 'research' for WRD has exagerated male violence.
A poster above highlights a mistaken statistic in the White Ribbon Foundation’s 2008 report An Assault on Our Future. True, there was an error in the original report, and this was corrected as soon as it was known. More importantly, this did not take away from the main message of the report: that young people are exposed to violence in their families and relationships at disturbingly high levels, that this violence has profound and long-lasting effects, that violence is sustained in part by some young people’s violence-supportive attitudes, that young males have more violence-supportive attitudes than young females, and that prevention efforts can stop this violence from occurring and continuing. The full report is available here: http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au/media/documents/AssaultonourFutureFinal.pdf. To focus on attitudes for example;
ReplyDelete• One in three boys (33%) believe that ‘most physical violence occurs in dating because a partner provoked it’, compared to 25% of girls (NCP 2001: 65).
• 15 per cent of males (but only 4% of females) agree that ‘It is okay to put pressure on a girl to have sex but not to physically force her’ (NCP 2001: 65).
Best wishes,
michael flood.
Micheal,
ReplyDeleteI hope you dont expect the Australians Ribbon Day's recent statistics (above) after they were fed lies or "mistakes" last year which caused a blanket denigation of all males, including young boys.
For anyone interested in the false reporting by the White Ribbon Misandrists please see this academic report about the event: http://hathor.instanthosting.com.au/~mhirc//files/Dishonesty_in_the_Domestic_Violence_Industry.pdf
Micheal,
ReplyDeleteI hope you dont expect the Australiand to believe your recent statistics after you fed them lies or "mistakes" last year which caused a blanket denigation of all males.
For anyone interested in the false reporting by the White Ribbon Misandrists please see this academic report about the event: http://hathor.instanthosting.com.au/~mhirc//files/Dishonesty_in_the_Domestic_Violence_Industry.pdf
If you read the comments under most media articles about White Ribbon Day you will notice that about 99% of Australians are appalled by the indiscriminate targetting of all males, and boys, most of whom are nonviolent males. The White Ribbon promoter Michael Flood is currently promoting compulsory feminism in schools in Victoria to stop the boys being violent. Problem is that the "compulsory feminism" given to these boys does not discriminate violent from nonviolent boys, but asks every boy to dwell at-length on his innate violent tendencies; ie. that every boy is secretly enforcing a "patriarchy" by the use of violence.
ReplyDeleteTo this anti-boy curriculum there has occured a resounding “backlash” (or more accurately a “lash”) against the grossly unfair steretyping of boys and men. Read the public comments here for instance 'BOYS FACE COMPULSORY FEMINISM: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/boys-face-compulsory-feminism-programs-in-state-schools-across-victoria/story-e6frf7jo-1225803918910
Citizens of Australia, you need to protect your boys from being stereotyped and branded by this idiology. Girls, if you love your brothers, fathers, and school mates, help them fight this uniform targetting of nonviolent males.
As a side issue I note there is a ‘One In Three’ campaign started: http://www.oneinthree.com.au/stories/
I am amazed the Body Shop is still willing to endorse and promote this campaign in the face of the considerable public sentiment against it. I for one will not be buying Body Shop products again.
I’m familiar with the ‘Dishonesty in the Domestic Violence Industry’ article. It’s an impressive collection of misinformation. I critique it here: http://www.xyonline.net/content/secrets-and-lies-responding-attacks-domestic-violence-campaigns-2006
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the piece in the Herald Sun on my co-authored report gave a highly distorted account of the report. I hope readers will look for themselves. You can find the report at: http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/stuman/wellbeing/respectful_relationships/respectful-relationships.pdf
Sincerely, michael flood.
Micheal,
ReplyDeleteI recently heard first-hand that even your own students are appalled by your misuse of statistics. They at least look into the facts.
Body-shop customers I have a bit of advice: dont shop there if you feel that Michael flood and the White Ribbon Day are unreasonably stereotyped nonviolent males, particularly the practice of targeting/lecturing nonviolent school-boys. The long gender war must come to an end, and it starts with a boycott of those industries who enflame it unnecessarily.
nonviolent boys need our protection from this denigration.
That should read 'unreasonably stereotyping nonviolent males'.
ReplyDeleteI think the point of lecturing young, non-violent school boys is so they WON'T become violent. I am not implying that all men will become violent in their adult years. Most will not. However, to ensure they know right from wrong and how serious this act is, it is very important to educate young children on this issue and to continue educating them! These lectures are constructed in order to prevent furture violence from occuring. THAT is why lectures are vital and should remain. The focus is on men because the vast majority of violence is caused by men. Plain and simple. The campaign is NOT being discriminatory. It is simply addressing the root of the problem. I mean, why sugar coat it when the stats speak for themselves? It is entirely true that most men in our society will not become violent! BUT, most violent acts ARE committed by males. In fact, women are more likely to be harmed by their male spouse than at the hands of anyone else. That is clearly a big problem! THAT is why we educate boys from an early age! THAT is why these campaigns are aimed at stopping "male violence"! It is self-explanatory. Anyone who is offended because he/she feels that males are being unfairly targeted in this campaign needs to get a clue and maybe read the paper or take a university course.
ReplyDelete