Page 114 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 27 November 2012
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Officially beginning in Australia in 2003, White Ribbon is part of UNIFEM, now UN Women, and was formed and had formally become a foundation in 2007. It is now Australia’s only national male-led violence prevention campaign. White Ribbon believes in the goodness of most men. It believes that good men reject violence against women and are willing to act to prevent it. White Ribbon also believes in the capacity of the individual to change and to be able to encourage change in others.
The campaign is focused on prevention. With this in mind, it works to change our culture to stop violence before it occurs with activities in schools, workplaces and the broader community. This year White Ribbon is encouraging men to stand up to violence against women with the knowledge that thousands of good men have got their back. This new concept was the platform for this year’s White Ribbon Day that occurred just last Sunday.
White Ribbon wants men to feel reassured that they can make a difference when it comes to stopping violence against women. As one of 144 White Ribbon Day ambassadors in the ACT, I personally believe the violence perpetrated by men against women must stop, and it is up to men to make a stand. It is up to men to speak up and step in when they witness violence against women, and it is up to men to condemn the indefensible actions of the few and assert the will of the many. It is also important to note that when you take a stand, there are over 66,000 men behind you. Whether it is me, the Attorney-General, Simon Corbell, the Chief Police Officer, Roman Quaedvlieg, our new ACT Australian of the Year, Dr Tom Calma, or even Jimmy Barnes, we have got your back.
One in three women over the age of 15 report physical or sexual violence at some time in their lives. Domestic and family violence is the major cause of homelessness for women and their children, and currently in Australia one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner. Violence against women also places a massive financial burden on the nation. In 2009, in the “Time for Action” report, KPMG estimated that violence against women and their children cost the Australian economy $13.6 billion annually. This number is expected to rise to $15.6 billion within the decade.
The ACT community held many great events this year and I had the honour of being able to attend several of these, starting with breakfast in the pub at King O’Malley’s on Friday, followed by the UC White Ribbon brunch and the Navy White Ribbon bridge-to-bridge run and walk during the day. As well as these great events, many public departments had their own internal events.
I would like to acknowledge the men in uniform stands that occurred on the 24th in about 24 shopping centres across Canberra, including Bunnings. I did see Mr Smyth from the opposition at one of the men in uniform stands at Tuggeranong, so I congratulate him on his work there. I want to congratulate all of the foundation’s volunteers and ambassadors that take part each year. I have had the honour to meet many of these in the ACT over my time. Without those people, none of what we have achieved would have been possible.
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