Campaign targets men to end violence against women

By Bill Samuel

Violence: The White Ribbon campaign was started by a small group of men 18 years ago with the goal of raising awareness of abuse against women. Photo illustration by Bill Samuel.Education and awareness is the key for boys and men to end violence against women.
The Pioneer did interviews with men on the street and agencies concerned with reducing violence against women. The overwhelming response from all parties is that more awareness and education is needed.
“Through respect for women, we will have respect for everybody,” said Eric Pivett, 22, a first-year student in the renovation construction techniques program. “I try and treat everybody equally—male, female, gay or straight.”
Pivett had not heard about the White Ribbon Campaign, but thought it’s a good idea. He thinks men are moving very slowly in the right direction and men’s awareness is part of the solution.
He regrets not interceding in a situation, involving violence against women, in the past. In the future, he wants to be able to confront other men and suggest it is better to discuss problems than use physical harm and intimidation.
Educating men across all age groups is important.
“We need to make more people aware,” said Mark Freeman, 36, a first-year community justice service worker student. “ I wasn’t aware of the White Ribbon Campaign. It is a good idea.”
Others agree.
“I think anything that raises awareness is a good idea,” said Chris Reid, 29, a third-year business student. “Women deserve our love and respect.”
He is not aware of anybody in an abusive situation. Reid usually surrounds himself with people who do not use violence against women.
The White Ribbon campaign was started 18 years ago by a handful of men, who felt they needed to speak out against violence against women. Since then, it spread out to 60 countries. The group runs its annual campaign from Nov. 25, with the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, until Dec. 6, when Canadians mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
“Our purpose is to raise awareness of men and boys,” said Clay Jones, White Ribbon Campaign office manager. “Education is the key to resolving this problem.”
Public awareness and public education are definitely part of the solution, said Belleville Police Chief Cory McMullan. Violence against women is not just a police issue; it’s a community issue, she added.
“The violence against women issue has been drawn out into the public,” she said. “Resources have been directed into the policing community to try and reduce the violence; officers have received domestic violence training; procedures have been changed to reduce the reoccurrence of domestic violence and providing additional support to the victims.”
It will take all of the community, as well as all of the resources, if society is going to reduce the problem significantly, she said. There are resources for the perpetrator if they are in custody through the court system to seek counselling. A perpetrator still at large can seek help through a family doctor, or call a crisis line, or speak to a minister, she suggested.
“Our ultimate goal is to stop the violence,” said McMullan. “One of the ways to do that is to get a conviction. We also want the individual to seek help and use the resources available.”
Police officers play a vital role in effectively stopping the violence, McMullan added.
Despite best efforts, violence against women continues to rise.
“The number of cases of reported abuse are up across Ontario,” said Elise Hineman, Public Educator for the Sexual Assault Centre in Belleville. “It may be there are more services available or that victims feel they will be safer if they report the abuse.”
A person can be so beaten down they have no belief in the system, she said. Only one person in 10 will report a problem.
According to Statistics Canada, 62 women were the victims of spousal homicide in 2004. In that same year, there were 543 shelters for abused women and children in Canada. Only one in three abused women in shelters had called the police in 2004.
On Dec. 6, there will be an interactive panel discussion to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the Montreal Massacre in Alumni Hall at Loyalist College.