The 25th of November marks White Ribbon Day and the start of a 16-day global action period, raising awareness of domestic abuse and the wider issue of violence against women and girls.
Each year Leeway runs a campaign alongside the international movement, tackling issues that are particularly prominent in our local area. The campaign serves as an important reminder for the role that we all have to play in tackling domestic abuse.
What is White Ribbon?
The white ribbon is the symbol of unity for all the people committed to preventing and eliminating all the forms of violence against women and girls.
It is the symbol for an international campaign lasting for 16 days, starting on White ribbon day: the 25th of November. During this time, events and campaigns are held across the world to raise awareness of all occurrences of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse.
The theme for this year’s global campaign is “Change The Story” – encouraging everyone to challenge the behaviours and attitudes that enable domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.
We all have a role to play to tackle domestic abuse and the campaign encourages everyone to take responsibility to change attitudes towards it.
What is Leeway doing?
White Ribbon is a busy time for us, as we raise awareness of domestic abuse and the work that we are doing locally to tackle it.
Over the course of the 16 days, we are attending some awareness events and will also be in the Fan Zone prior to the Ipswich vs Millwall game, alongside partners that we work closely with in Suffolk.
We are also working with partners in Norfolk to promote the work that we are doing across the county, including the HEAR Campaign which Leeway has supported since its launch.
On social media, we will be highlighting the importance of online safety and healthy relationships, which has been particularly topical of late, as we highlighted in our recent blog on the Online Safety Act.
Whilst White Ribbon is a great opportunity to raise awareness of domestic abuse and wider issues, it is important that we campaign year-round to ensure that the voice of survivors is heard.
Supporting Leeway:
You can support our campaign by liking and sharing our posts, helping us to spread this important information to as many people as possible!
Not only does this help to raise awareness, but it may also help somebody to get the support that they need.
If you see us at an awareness event, pop along and say hello! We believe that everyone has a role to play in tackling domestic abuse – not just during the White Ribbon Campaign, but every day. Our Twitter is @LeewayDV and our Facebook page is Leeway Domestic Violence and Abuse Services. Thank you for your support – let’s spread the message to as many people as possible!
