WOH! Violence Against Women –A Men’s Issue
A regular space to bring ideas and reflections. We discuss and write together to create awareness & encourage positive change for women and girls.
Monday 25 November is White Ribbon Day: ‘It starts with men.’
In December 1989, in Montreal, Canada, Marc Lepine entered Ecole Polytechnique, with an automatic rifle. He told the men to leave, held nine women at gunpoint and yelled: “I hate feminists.” He didn’t know the women; they were all young female engineering students – not active feminists. He shot all nine women, then went into other classrooms and shot another five women before he turned the gun on himself.
In all, 14 women died and another 10 were injured in what is now regarded as Canada’s first misogynist act of terrorism, a chilling example of the wider social violence against women everywhere.
Male survivors were asked why they ‘abandoned’ the women: why they didn’t distract or attempt to stop the gunman when it was clear he was about to shoot them. Mark Steyn, (author and TV presenter) suggested that male inaction illustrated a ‘culture of passivity’ among men regarding women’s issues. This led to a group of men in London, Ontario launching the White Ribbon Campaign in 1991. Their aim was to engage men in the prevention of gender-based violence and encourage men and boys to be part of the solution.
Fast forward 33 years and the campaign has spread to over 60 countries. The white ribbon emblem was chosen to represent men giving up their weapons and seeking to promote healthy relationships, gender equity and a compassionate vision of masculinity. The White Ribbon movement promotes the idea that men should become allies of women, to take responsibility for challenging violence against women and preventing its occurrence.
Despite these efforts, violence towards women and girls remains a serious problem in our society. Written evidence from the Trade Unions Congress, 2023, stated: “Three in five women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse in the workplace.” This corresponds with the individual experiences within our Women of Hastings group, many of whom have shared accounts of sexual violence, intimidation and coercion either as children or adults: at work, in the community or at home.
That the issue of male violence is a male issue is clear – men and boys cannot simply be bystanders. In Hastings there are several men’s groups, and we support and celebrate their conscious actions to stop male violence against women. We hope that they will organise a men-only parade or gathering in Alexandra Park for White Ribbon Day to raise awareness and demonstrate their active support to stop violence against women.
Hastings Borough Council has been given White Ribbon Accreditation by the White Ribbon UK charity until 2027. It is supporting White Ribbon Day in November and for the last few years has joined in with 16 Days of Action on social media as part of the Safer Hastings and Rother Partnerships to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the support available.
The Hastings, ‘Let’s do Business’ group are supporting this event and several men’s groups in Hastings have expressed interest in taking a stand on 25 November. We’ll be reporting on further developments in our next issue.
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