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| Abbreviation | WRC |
|---|---|
| Formation | November 1991 |
| Founders | Jack Layton, Ron Sluser, Michael Kaufman[1] |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Ending violence against women |
| Location |
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Executive Director | Humberto Carolo |
| Mona Mitchell (Chair), Jeff Feiner (Past Chair), Vipin Rikhi (Treasurer), Chris Langdon (Secretary), Kelly Davis, Mary Pompili, Sheamus Murphy, Joel Marans, Louie Surdi | |
| Website | whiteribbon |
The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. It was formed by a group of pro-feminist men in Toronto, Ontario, in November 1991 as a response to the École Polytechnique massacre of female students by Marc Lépine in 1989. The campaign was intended to raise awareness about the prevalence of male violence against women, with the ribbon symbolizing "the idea of men giving up their arms".[2][3][4] Active in over 60 countries, the movement seeks to promote healthy relationships, gender equity, and a compassionate vision of masculinity.[5]
The historical context of this day was an instance of misogyny which occurred at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 6 December 1989 and referred to as the Montreal Massacre. In the incident, twenty-five-year-old Marc Lépine entered the school, killing 14 women, and injuring another ten women and four men because of his hatred toward women and their presence in the engineering program at École. Much of the campaign's work is centered around the prevention of intimate partner violence and includes educating and mentoring young men about issues such as violence and gender equality. Men and boys are encouraged to wear white ribbons as a symbol of their opposition to violence against women. They are particularly encouraged to wear these during White Ribbon week, which starts on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.[5]
The White Ribbon Campaign is active in over 60 nations across the world, including Canada, UK,[6] Pakistan, Italy and Australia. Each White Ribbon chapter works as a separate entity and with its own governance.
White Ribbon Australia
In 2018 for Australia, the day was moved from 25 to 23 November to become a specific campaign day separate to the international day, and expanded to encompass violence against children.[7] Businesses are able to attain a "white ribbon accredited workplace", valid for three years.[8]
On 3 October 2019, the Australian arm of the movement, White Ribbon Australia, was placed into liquidation after posting a net loss of AU$840,000 in its financial reports.[9][10] By March 2020 a Western Australia-based community service organisation bought White Ribbon Australia, with the White Ribbon Canada Executive Director welcoming their commitment to collaborating to 'challenge and support men and boys to realise their potential to be part of the solution in ending all forms of gender-based violence'.[11] The new Australian CEO in June 2020 stated an intent to focus more on domestic violence, and move away from being a specific campaign engaging males, to 'involve all Australians'.[12]
In 2014, the men's rights activist organisation A Voice for Men launched whiteribbon.org (since discontinued) as a counter to the White Ribbon campaign,[13][14] adopting graphics and language from White Ribbon.[15] It is owned by Erin Pizzey and has the slogan "Stop Violence Against Everyone".[16] Accused of "hijacking" White Ribbon,[17] the site was harshly criticized by Todd Minerson, the former executive director of The White Ribbon Campaign, who described it as "a copycat campaign articulating their archaic views and denials about the realities of gender-based violence".[18] The site presents the claim that domestic violence is a learned behaviour from childhood, perpetrated equally by women and men. The website has faced much criticism, being accused of displaying "anti-feminist propaganda".[3]
Although the WRC was meant to be a men's peer pressure campaign, the activities of the Australian organisation came into question in 2016 and after, with allegations that the day was mostly organised by women, and was an example of slacktivism, rather than an effective means of effecting useful change. It was also alleged that much of the funding raised was being absorbed by administrative costs.[19][20][21] The organisation denied the criticisms, with supporters such as White Ribbon ambassador Matt de Groot challenging the claims.[22][23] Research argued White Ribbon Australia's "failure to articulate the meaning of, both, gender equality and respect is a crucial lack".[24]
In October 2018, White Ribbon Australia made plans to retract its position statement that women "should have complete control over their reproductive and sexual health", moving to an "agnostic" stance to consult with community stakeholders.[25][26] Following criticism of the move, the original position statement was reinstated several hours later.[27] The change in position occurred on the same morning the Parliament of Queensland voted to decriminalise abortion,[28] which came after a lengthy process involving the Queensland Law Reform Commission (QLRC). White Ribbon Australia was referred to in the QLRC's Review of Termination of Pregnancy Laws Report, for its submission supporting the need for "nationally consistent access to safe and legal abortion".[29]
Marie Stopes Australia is profoundly disappointed in White Ribbon Australia's decision to retract its position statement on Women's Reproductive Rights. When White Ribbon Australia released the statement in February 2017 it bravely and rightly revealed the strong link between prevention of violence against women and reproductive autonomy. The decision to retract the statement sends a dangerous message to our community and ignores the growing evidence of strong links between reproductive coercion, family violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence.
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