White Ribbon announces 2015 campaign "Respectful relationships"

White Ribbon has announced that its 2015 campaign will focus on respectful relationships.

White Ribbon says "'Respectful relationships' is a simple description of the positive behaviour we want to be normal for everyone, instead of men’s violence against women being too often an everyday occurrence." The campaign will also promote consent as significant aspect of respectful relationships, targeting sexual violence.

The campaign will continue to use its key strategy of men role-modelling good behaviour and challenging other men who use violence. The campaign will also include a theme of promoting flexible behaviour. White Ribbon says, "A man holding rigid views on what it means to be a man, or how a woman should behave, is at risk of being violent toward women, especially if he feels his views are threatened. Encouraging men to behave more flexibly, and not limiting them to only doing 'manly' things, will help prevent violence."

The approach will involve:

• "showing positive examples of equitable, respectful behaviour;
• strengthening current non-violent actions, attitudes and values; and
• providing a safe environment and framing discussion in terms of men’s responsibility."

White Ribbon held two public workshops with experts, social services, interested organisations and government departments as well as a number of smaller workshops to begin developing the respectful relationships campaign. The workshop presentation Connecting with men - Ideas for White Ribbon 2015 by Garth Baker is available online.

This year, White Ribbon will be providing training across New Zealand for Ambassadors, White Ribbon Riders and community spokespeople. The two hour training session will include: an overview of family violence; White Ribbon’s focus on ending men’s violence towards women; the 2015 Campaign focusing on ‘Respectful Relationships’; and media and campaign strategies. Training dates are expected to be announced shortly.

Contact White Ribbon if you would like to get involved in the campaign.

Further resources:

The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse has compiled resources on promoting healthy relationships, for working with young people. These include resources on teen dating violence, consent, and promoting healthy relationships.

The Clearinghouse has previously published an issues paper, Effectively involving men in preventing violence against women by Garth Baker (2013).

Other recent resources include:

Lecture: Revisiting the continuum of sexual violence in the 21st century (Liz Kelly / ANROWS, 2015)

Video: A New Kind of Strength (Private Violence, 2015)

Compilation: Engaging men in preventing men's violence against women: Practical guides and manuals (XY Online, 2015)

Speech: Men preventing men's violence against women: What we know, what we've done, and what to do next (Michael Flood / Victorian Women’s Trust, 2015)

Webinar: Engaging Men: Triumphs, Troubles, and Tools (Trace Fleming, Kris Macomber & Ben Atherton-Zeman / National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2015)

Video: Chaz Smith (Futures Without Violence, 2015)

Journal article: Working with Men and Boys to Prevent Gender-based Violence: Principles, Lessons Learned, and Ways Forward (Dean Peacock & Gary Barker / Men & Masculinities, 2014)

Journal article: From work with men and boys to changes of social norms and reduction of inequities in gender relations: a conceptual shift in prevention of violence against women and girls (Rachel Jewkes, Michael Flood & James Lang / The Lancet, 2014)

Paper: Integrating Men As Allies in Anti-Violence Work: Accountability and Beyond (Kris Macomber, 2014)

Media

Vic Tamati challenges men to live violence-free, Taranaki Daily News, 04.10.2015

Men are not predisposed to family violence, NZ Herald, 03.10.2015

Men from all walks rally to Stan Walker's call against domestic violence, NZ Herald, 11.09.2015