Violence against women is a serious problem in Australia and to coincide with White Ribbon Night, the Forbes High School Welfare Team held a White Ribbon Evening on Thursday 30 July. More than 35 male students, along with several male teachers attended the evening which began after school and finished at around 8pm.
Attendees participated in games and activities and were enlightened by discussions and presentations before enjoying a delicious dinner. The organisers were happy with the response to the event and are confident that it will continue to grow in the future, believing it to be a great step towards eradicating violence against women.
White Ribbon Night is a chance to join communities across Australia uniting to bring an end to violence against women, having a night out to get the word out. In Australia, one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by someone known to them. One in four children are exposed to domestic violence.
We would all like to think that family, friends, colleagues and neighbours are safe at home. This is a basic right. Sadly, for many, this is not the case. On average, one woman is killed every week as a result of intimate partner violence and a woman killed by her male partner is most likely to be in her own home. This is the extreme end of men’s violence against women. If we can change young boys’ attitudes today, we can change the world and make violence against women a thing of the past.