The White Ribbon Campaign is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls. It was formed by a group of pro-feminist men in London, Ontario in November 1991 as a response to the École Polytechnique massacre of female students by Marc Lépine in 1989. The campaign was intended to raise awareness about the prevalence of male violence against women, with the ribbon symbolizing "the idea of men giving up their arms". Active in over 60 countries, the movement seeks to promote healthy relationships, gender equity, and a compassionate vision of masculinity.
History
The historical context of this day was an instance of misogyny which occurred at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 6 December 1989 and referred to as the Montreal Massacre. The massacre resulted when twenty-five-year-old Marc Lépine slaughtered 14 women because of his hatred toward women. Much of their work centres around gender violence prevention which includes educating and mentoring young men about issues such as violence and gender equality. Men and boys are encouraged to wear white ribbons as a symbol of their opposition to violence against women. They are particularly encouraged to wear these during White Ribbon week which starts on November the 25th which is the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The White Ribbon Campaign is active in over 60 nations across the world including Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Italy and the UK. In 2018 for Australia, the day was moved from 25 November to 23 November to become a specific campaign day separate to the international day, and expanded to encompass violence against children. Businesses are able to attain a "white ribbon accredited workplace", valid for three years. On 3 October 2019, the Australian arm of the movement, White Ribbon Australia, was placed into liquidation after posting a net loss of AU$840,000 in its financial reports. By March 2020 a Western Australia-based community service organisation bought White Ribbon Australia, with the White Ribbon Canada executive director welcoming their commitment to collaborating to 'challenge and support men and boys to realise their potential to be part of the solution in ending all forms of gender-based violence'. The new Australian executive director in June 2020 stated an intent to focus more on domestic violence, and move away from being a specific campaign engaging males, to 'involve all Australians'.
Whiteribbon.org
In 2014 the men's rights activist organisation A Voice for Men launched whiteribbon.org as a counter to the White Ribbon campaign, adopting graphics and language from White Ribbon. It is owned by Erin Pizzey and has the slogan "Stop Violence Against Everyone". Accused of "hijacking" White Ribbon, the site was harshly criticized by Todd Minerson, the former executive director of The White Ribbon Campaign, who described it as "a copycat campaign articulating their archaic views and denials about the realities of gender-based violence". The site presents the claim that domestic violence is a learned behaviour from childhood, perpetrated equally by women and men. The website has faced much criticism, being accused of displaying "anti-feminist propaganda".
Criticism
It has been noted that while WRC was meant to be a men's peer pressure campaign, the Australian organisation was questioned in 2016 and since as mostly organised by women, much of the funds raised are absorbed into administrative costs, and the day is more slacktivism than producing change. The organisation denied the criticisms with supporters such as Ambassador Matt de Groot challenging the claims. Research argued White Ribbon Australia's "failure to articulate the meaning of, both, gender equality and respect is a crucial lack". In October 2018, White Ribbon Australia made plans to retract their position statement that women "should have complete control over their reproductive and sexual health", moving to an "agnostic" stance to consult with community stakeholders. Several hours later, their position statement was reinstated after much criticism. The switched position occurred on the same morning the Parliament of Queensland voted to decriminalise abortion, which came after a lengthy process from the Queensland Law Reform Commission. White Ribbon Australia was referenced in the QLRC's Review of Termination of Pregnancy Laws Report for its submission supporting the need for "nationally consistent access to safe and legal abortion".
