Napier Girls' High School is trying to stamp out domestic violence with a campaign for Amnesty International's Freedom Week.
The school's core group of 15 Amnesty International pupils shunned the week's official theme - defending human rights in cyberspace - in favour of a theme that directly affects New Zealanders' human
rights.
"Domestic abuse is something you hear about on a daily basis," Year-13 pupil Ellen Chapman said.
"The best way to tackle it is to be proactive. Promote that there's a problem and a way to stop it."
With Key Club, a pupil-led organisation that teaches leadership through service to others, the girls created a three-metre banner titled "Give us a hand to give violence the boot", and asked pupils to show their support by dipping their hands or boots in paint and stamping them on the banner.
More than 50 pupils and staff had done so since Monday, and the banner was almost full, Ellen said.
"People definitely seemed to appreciate the nice warm bucket of water to wash their shoes and feet in at the end," she said.
Once dry, the banner will be hung at the school, photographed and the pictures sent to Amnesty International.
The two groups also collected food and clothing for Women's Refuge for Freedom Week, which finished on August 5.
