Horsham District Council is supporting the nationwide White Ribbon Campaign this year with councillors and officers being encouraged to sign the White Ribbon pledge to end domestic violence towards women and girls.
Those signing up to the pledge will promise to never commit, condone or stay silent about violence towards women and girls.
The Council is working in conjunction with the West Sussex Women’s Institute to support a range of events throughout November to support the campaign.
This year the theme for White Ribbon Day is #wespeakup to end violence against women and girls. The White Ribbon movement engages men specifically to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that lead to men's violence against women.
White Ribbon Day this year falls on Tuesday 25 November when a vigil will be held on the Carfax bandstand in Horsham from 6pm to 7pm to which everyone is invited.
Additionally, on Saturday 22 November West Sussex Women’s Institute will have a stall in the Carfax market promoting the wearing of white ribbons and raising awareness about the campaign.
Commenting on the campaign, Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Community and Wellbeing Cllr Sam Raby said:
“Gender based violence is an issue that affects far too many lives, and it’s essential that we come together as a community to tackle it head-on.
“Through events like White Ribbon Day and our White Ribbon pledge, we can send a clear message that violence in any form will not be tolerated in our District.
"It is also an opportunity to remember that domestic violence can happen anywhere to anyone and we will be reminding local people what to do if they experience or witness such behaviour.”
You can become an ambassador for the campaign here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/ambassadors-find-out-more
And you can sign the promise here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/promise
Females can become champions of the campaign. As a Champion your role will be to promote and support the campaign and to encourage men to sign the promise. You can sign up to becoming a Champion here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/champions-find-out-more
You can find out more about the campaign here: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/ .
The focus of the campaign is on men changing their behaviours and having the courage to challenge other men on their words and actions to ensure intervention before harmful attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls takes place. The campaign recognises that not all men are violent, but that we can all play a role in preventing violence against women and girls.