Ending Violence Against Women

White Ribbon Campaign
Our Future Has No Violence Against Women

My Charity Connects:
Turning online interest into offline
action.


www.whiteribbon.com June 2011


1) Count the number of women you
personally care about in your life.
a) 1 – 10
b) 10 – 20
c) 20 – 50
d) 50 – 100
e) Over 100



2) What % of women in Canada will
experience an act of physical or sexual
violence in their lifetime?
a) 10%
b) 30%
c) 50%
d) 65%



3) How much does violence against women
cost the Canadian economy each year
(health costs, support services, justice,
policing, lost productivity etc.)
a) $56.5 million
b) $300 million
c) $1.8 billion
d) $4.2 billion



3) Knowing what you know now – raise your
hand if you think violence against women
is a serious problem in Canada.



4) Keep your hand up if you can name one
thing you did in the last 12 months to
work to end violence against women.



You have just demonstrated two of the key
challenges for the White Ribbon Campaign:
• Raising awareness on violence against
women with men and boys

• Moving men and boys from believing there
is a problem to acting on that belief



Now… I apologize... because I tricked you.

• It is very likely you did many things in the last 12
months to work to end violence against women
– you just can’t name them



What are some of those things?
• Challenge sexism
• Promote gender equality
• Make choices to spend time with your family
• Share work around the house
• Be a caring man
• Hopefully – you didn’t use or threaten
violence against women


The White Ribbon Story



December 6th, 1989 – The Montreal Massacre



Our Mission:

CHALLENGING everyone to speak out, and think about their own
beliefs, language and actions.

EDUCATING young people, especially young men and boys, on
the issue.

RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS of the issue.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP with women’s organizations,
international NGO’s, the corporate sector, the media, and other
partners, to create a future with no violence against women.

SUPPORTING WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGNS around the world



Our Vision:

A future with no violence
against women.



WRC international WRC international
Brazil New Zealand



WRC international WRC international
South Africa Pakistan



WRC international
Cape Verde

WRC international
Sri Lanka



White Ribbon Campaign is:
• The only national organization that it is working on the
prevention of violence against women by positively engaging
men and boys

• A globally recognized issue leader in this work, consulting
federal and provincial governments, the UN, and providing
training and capacity building to communities and countries
around the world

• Providing an essential and complimentary prevention
and awareness component to the shelter, support and
intervention work for women and children



Violence Against Women: The Issue
• The overwhelming and disproportionate amount of violence
against women is perpetrated by men

• The roots of this violence rest in fundamental issues of
gender inequality for women, and harmful and violent
forms of masculinity in men

• While most men may never use violence against women, our
silence both perpetuates and tolerates it; while all men may
not be part of the problem, we can all be part of the
solution



Violence as a Gender Issue
• Violence is rooted in social norms and unequal power
dynamics between men and women

• Traditionally, programs have focused on protecting and
assisting women and girls

• Must also focus on how to address and involve boys and men
in prevention



Violence as a Gender Issue
• In relationships, violence may be used by some men as a
form of retaining power and control and a need to prove
manhood

• Men’s violence is not limited to physical assault

• Also includes emotional, verbal, psychological, economic, faith
based, intimidation, and of course sexual violence



A Glimmer of Hope
• 75% of Canadian men feel that it is quite important that men
speak out about violence against women*

• The UN has recognized in the Unite to End Violence Against
Women campaign that men and boys have a vital, and
positive role to play in ending men’s violence against women

• Young men who are more gender-equitable are generally
able to identify a father or other male figure in their lives who
modeled or demonstrated gender-equitable roles
* White Ribbon Campaign research, Environics 2007, Pollara 2006



A Glimmer of Hope
• Men’s participation as fathers and mentors can be positive for
the lives of women, men and children
• Expanding the role of men’s caring for children creates a
broader vision of the human capacity of men in family life and
society in general
• For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong,
there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels
vulnerable
• For every boy struggling not to let popular media dictate his
desires, there is a girl facing popular media’s attacks on her
self-esteem



The solution?
• Men need to be involved in prevention, raising awareness,
changing social norms, and modeling positive behaviour

• Men need to work within the field of women’s rights –
including the promotion of gender equality, and the
transformation of harmful aspects of masculinity

• Change needs to happen on a personal, family, community, and
systemic level



How Do We Do It?



Education Action Kit

• A teacher resource on gender equality, healthy
relationships & ending violence against women

• Targeted to reach over 3000 schools in Canada
& US

• An Independent evaluation in 2004 showed
"strong evidence that the Education and Action
Kit effectively influences teenagers' attitudes,
knowledge, and behaviours regarding violence
against women.”



Strength Campaign

My Strength is not for hurting…

So when guys
disrespect
women, we say So when I wanted
So when she So when I wasn’t
So when she that’s not right. to and she didn’t,
said no, I said sure how she felt,
OK. wanted me to we didn’t.
stop, I stopped. I asked.


Common Ground –
YWCA & OSSTF
Boys Conferences - ETFO Partnership Partnership



Partnership with the Ontario Federation of Indian
Friendship Centres
• A project to adapt our Strength poster series and Education
Action Kit
• Cultural and language adaptations reflecting traditional
aboriginal teachings



Turning online interest into offline action
2 Examples from



“It Starts With You. It Stays With Him.” Campaign
www.itstartswithyou.ca



http://www.walkamiletoronto.org/



“It Starts With You. It Stays With Him.”

• A web based, bilingual (English and French) campaign,
supported by a website and discussion forum

• The campaign aims to encourage, inspire and empower men
to take an active role in the promotion of healthy and equal
relationships boys ages 8 - 14 in their lives

• Phase 1 – develop the concept and the basic tools




Rooted in conviction and research
1) There are positive roles men can play in ending violence against
women, as fathers, role models, allies, and influencers
2) Family Violence Prevention Fund (US, 2008) research which
indicated:
• Seventy-three percent (73%) of men think they can make at least
some difference in promoting healthy, respectful, non-violent
relationships among young people
• Seventy percent (70%) are willing to make time to talk to children
about healthy, violence-free relationships
• 82% of fathers of children under 18 say that they would be willing
to make time, but also 63% of men who do not have children
under 18 say the same




A couple words on our target audience

• 75% of men who believe violence against women is a serious
issue, and they could be doing more

• Continuum of men

• How to identify these men
• Have kids, making different parenting choices, dual income
families, strong partners, equitable role models,




We were interested in hearing some of the reasons men stated for
not taking on this important activity with boys in their lives

• Never asked, never thought about it
• Don’t know how, afraid to make mistakes
• Actually doing it, but never made the connection to gender
equality, ending violence against women
• No one to talk about it with
• Was never modeled to them by their fathers




Phase 2 –just launched in May

• 3 online learning experiences
• 2 strategic partners (ETFO & OCAS)
• 9 digital stories
• 2 PSAs
• YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/itstartswithyouWRC
• Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ItStartsWithYou




Worked with:

Ruth Bastedo and her team at
Continuum Media

http://www.experiencecontinuum.com/




Selected Outcomes

• Close to 3000 total views on the YouTube page in only 2
weeks

• 76,000 elementary teachers will be able to access the e-
learning module

• The UN – Say No To Violence Campaign has agreed to
feature the campaign around Father’s Day



Walk A Mile In Her Shoes

• One mile walk through the downtown core, with men wearing
women’s shoes

• To raise money and awareness for men and boys working to
end violence against women

• How to break down the barriers for men’s involvement in the
issue
• Fear, solitude, uncertainty, what exactly can I do?, wow
women’s experience is really different, use of humour

• How to get men to have fun with an issue that isn’t funny



Walk A Mile In Her Shoes

• Website/online registration
• www.walkamiletoronto.org

• Facebook page
• http://www.facebook.com/walkamiletoronto

• YouTube Channel
• http://www.youtube.com/user/WalkAMileToronto



WAMbush [wam-boo sh]
- noun,
1. Derived from the English, ambush; an act or instance of
attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.

2. Walk A Mile – ambush; an act of appearing unexpectedly
from a concealed position to recruit participants while wearing
3 inch red stilettos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPD9-Qa_PJ8



Measuring Success

• 32.3 million media impressions

• $121,746 raised last year (over $200,00 in just 2 years)

• 750 participants

• 35 corporate teams

• 1,647 new donors and contacts acquired

• Winner of two IABC Awards



Thursday
September 29,
2011

Get Pumped!



Turning Online Interest Into Offline Action
Some Lessons Learned

1. Know your target audience – like really know them!

2. Do your homework – look for the research.

3. Be creative – use humour.

4. Have a specific ask – make it easy to engage!

5. Forge strong partnerships – you can always do more with partners
than on your own!

6. Consider “enlightened self-interest” – the what’s in it for me factor?



Thank You!

365 Bloor Street East, Suite 203
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3L4
Canada
Tel: 416-920-6684
www.whiteribbon.com


Ending Violence Against Women

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