No Excuse For Abuse
During the current crisis White Ribbon UK has a crucial voice. There have been significant increases in calls to Domestic Abuse Helplines as well as domestic abuse killings. The work that our White Ribbon Ambassadors, Champions and supporters do in talking to men and role modelling positive masculinity has never been more important. Whilst the statistics suggest that the stresses of the current situation are affecting some men’s behaviour for the worse, we must continue to communicate to all men that there is no excuse for abuse. Men have to take responsibility for their behaviour and this needs to be communicated widely. We need your help with this – the power of being a White Ribbon Ambassador lies with being able to communicate amongst your own circles, amongst friends and colleagues. Whilst normal places where men can talk about ending violence are closed people are still communicating with each other. Please take time to think about how you can make a difference. Let us know how you get on, how we can support you, and share ideas that we can pass on to others. A resource that may help is the Corona Crisis Survival Kit for men under pressure.
We are joining in Giving Tuesday Now, on Tuesday 5 May. This is a global day of giving and people standing together as a response to the need caused by COVID-19. We are asking all our supporters to give some time to White Ribbon and think about ways to support us. Even sharing our social media posts with people who may not usually see them can make a significant difference in getting the message out that there is #NoExcuseForAbuse. It’s also a good time to remind people of the White Ribbon Promise, to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women #MakeThePromise.
You can help us in our important work that can prevent male violence against women by making a donation. We need your support so that we can be effective in responding to the current situation and once we are out of lockdown there is going to be a lot to pick up, especially in our work with younger men through our new Youth Advocate Programme. You can make a donation here.
Finally, the Domestic Abuse Bill was given its 2nd Second Reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday 28th April. We will continue to be making the case for prevention of violence as this progresses. If you haven’t already seen it, the moving speech made by Mark Fletcher MP, showed the horror of domestic abuse and how important it can be for men to talk about it.
Anthea Sully - Chief Executive