16 Days in WA
The 16 Days in WA campaign runs from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) through to 10 December (Human Rights Day) each year. The campaign takes its inspiration from the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
President Tom drew our attention to this recently, when he stepped up to the lecturn after our invited speaker begged off at very short notice. Tom’s employer WA Cricket has been leading the way in the campaign. He also contributed to the Respectful Relationships workshop sponsored by Starick Industries, one of our long standing project partners championed by “retired” member Lorri.
Domestic and Family violence has been a hot topic this past year, and it manifests in many different ways. Teenagers are sharing pornographic images of themselves on social media, and many of these have an underlying theme threatening violence.
How do we, and how should we respond? Often we ignore it. “They’ll grow out of it" we state wisely with fingers crossed. This is how legendary leader Martin Luther King Jr. responded to this action: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Retired Chief of the Australian Army Lieutenant-General David Morrison said it in a powereful way: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”. If you don't comment on something, you're essentially accepting it as the new standard.
The 16 Days in WA campaign runs from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) through to 10 December (Human Rights Day) each year. The campaign takes its inspiration from the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.President Tom drew our attention to this recently, when he stepped up to the lecturn after our invited speaker begged off at very short notice. Tom’s employer WA Cricket has been leading the way in the campaign. He also contributed to the Respectful Relationships workshop sponsored by Starick Industries, one of our long standing project partners championed by “retired” member Lorri.
Domestic and Family violence has been a hot topic this past year, and it manifests in many different ways. Teenagers are sharing pornographic images of themselves on social media, and many of these have an underlying theme threatening violence.
How do we, and how should we respond? Often we ignore it. “They’ll grow out of it" we state wisely with fingers crossed. This is how legendary leader Martin Luther King Jr. responded to this action: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Retired Chief of the Australian Army Lieutenant-General David Morrison said it in a powereful way: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”. If you don't comment on something, you're essentially accepting it as the new standard.
Tom showed members a video from a TedXFiDiWomen talk by Jackson Katz*. Here is the link and I hope you watch it
Violence against women—it's a men's issue: Jackson Katz
https://youtu.be/KTvSfeCRxe8?si=VdMySYixo-ABnLL3
Violence against women—it's a men's issue: Jackson Katz
https://youtu.be/KTvSfeCRxe8?si=VdMySYixo-ABnLL3
Thanks again for your leadership Tom.
* Why you should listen
Jackson Katz is an educator, author, and filmmaker who is a pioneer in the fields of gender violence prevention education and media literacy. He is co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), which enlists men in the struggle to prevent men’s violence against women.