Tararua district councillors will be asked to take the White Ribbon pledge

Erana Peeti-Webber feels the stories of women who had lost their lives to domestic violence make an impact. Photo / Leanne Warr

The newest councillors on Tararua District Council will be asked to take the pledge at a public council meeting, deputy mayor Erana Peeti-Webber promised at a White Ribbon event.

White Ribbon, a campaign started in Canada in 1991 by a men’s movement, has become an international campaign adopted by the United Nations for the elimination of violence against women and girls.

November 25 was marked as the official day of the campaign, with many groups holding events prior to and on the day.

The committee tied ribbons around trees during a dawn service earlier in the week. Photo / Supplied

The Tararua District White Ribbon Action Group held a dawn service on Monday last week in Dannevirke and Pahiatua to commemorate the beginning of the week.

White ribbons were tied around trees and posters were put up to tell the real-life stories of women who had lost their lives to domestic violence.

The committee also held a sausage sizzle last Friday taking donations and talking to people in Dannevirke about White Ribbon.

Peeti-Webber spoke about the ribbons on the trees, saying that reading the stories had a big impact on those driving by and helped make what happened behind closed doors a reality.

The mum of two boys said this year’s message of flipping the script in the “Boys will be ... caring, supportive, ethical, respectful, friendly, generous, awesome” sent a strong message to her household.

“We lead the way in this message. Parents and elders need to lead by example to our rangatahi, and show them how to respect girls and women in our daily lives. We need to show our rangatahi what a caring, respectful and compassionate relationship looks like.”

In New Zealand, those aged between 15 and 19 made up the biggest group of those who were sexually assaulted and those carrying out assaults, “that we know of”, Peeti-Webber said.

Boys being able to express themselves on the rugby field, the basketball court or the boxing bag instead of bottling up their emotions could only help, not hurt, she said.

“Better still, they can and should try to express their emotions.”

Men were encouraged to “have a quiet word to a mate” who was saying something offensive to or about a girl or woman.

“Break down the masculinity of men, help a mate break the cycle of abuse,” Peeti-Webber said.

The group was also running a competition encouraging those in the Tararua District to decorate their home or business window, letterbox, fence or paddock with a white ribbon display and upload photos to the action group’s Facebook page.

Entries close on November 30.