History of White Ribbon Day

The following is taken from "Victims of abuse: When enough is enough" by Sarah Winton (www.helium.com)

"The Montreal Massacre of 6 December 1989 lasted only twenty minutes but the gunman, Marc Lepine took the lives of 14 women and wounded 13 other students of both genders. The killer's reasoning? His rampage was born out of anti-feminist beliefs. He intended his killing spree to be a political statement that would resound around the world; he also wanted women to be scared back into their traditional roles in the hearth and home.

"In 1999 a handful of Canadian men decided to create the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC), the "largest effort in the world of men working to end men's violence against women." These few Canadian men decided that we have a responsibility to urge men to speak out against violence against women. The wearing of the white ribbon is a symbol of male opposition to male violence against women. "Wearing a white ribbon is a pledge neer to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women." (www.whiteribbon.ca)

"The white ribbon is worn for one or two weeks starting on 25 November, the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women". The goals of the WRC are to encourage discussion that leads to personal and collective action among men in the fight against violence against women."