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White Ribbon – the world's largest movement of men and boys against violence towards women – holds it's annual awareness day this month, on November 25.
A movement based on prevention rather than reaction, the organisation believes that men are central to the social change that is required to end domestic violence.
Violence against women is a serious problem in Australia, and numbers are still on the rise.
According to the latest statistics from White Ribbon:
- One woman is killed every week as a result of partner violence.
- Intimate partner violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and ill-health in Australian women aged 15-44.
- A woman is most likely to be killed by her male partner in her home.
- One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from someone they have known.
- One in five women experience harassment in the workplace.
- Domestic violence is the principle cause of homelessness for women and their children.
- One in four children are exposed to domestic violence.
- Children exposed to violence at home are more likely to go on to commit or experience violence.
- Childhood exposure to domestic violence leads to an increased risk of mental health, behavioural and learning difficulties.
- Globally, 30 per cent of women are affected by intimate partner violence.
To turn the tide on this terrifying trend, White Ribbon aim to provide boys and men with the tools to end violent behaviour – through education, awareness raising and preventative programs.
As part of this, White Ribbon now offers an award-winning professional free learning program for schools, titled Breaking the Silence. The program is designed to support teachers, school leaders and principals to embed models of respectful relationships in classroom activities and school culture.
Providing students with the environment to experience and understand respectful relationships, the program is designed to end the cycle of violence against women and girls in our youngest – making the school a safe, respectful centre for education, and becoming the space for cultural change.
Schools that complete the course become recognised as White Ribbon Schools and once introduced, the program becomes part of the school's everyday culture.
This year White Ribbon is asking all men to stand up and speak out and act against the attitudes, behaviours, and gender inequality stereotypes that still exist in our culture. By changing the way women are treated, promoting healthy relationships and a new vision of masculinity – both for boys and men – White Ribbon aims to end the cycle of violence.
Building greater equality and respect will in turn reduce the attitudes that support violence. And by addressing and rectifying this inequality and changing attitudes in schools, hopefully the White Ribbon vision of 'A nation that respects women, in which every woman lives in safety, free from all forms of men's abuse' might, in the next generation, become reality.
There are plenty of White Ribbon events happening across the country throughout November, just see their events page for more details.
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