BE it a family member, one of your best mates or someone you have only met on a couple of occasions, if they are committing violence against a partner or family member it is your responsibility to stand up and put a stop to it.
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That was the message from Dubbo’s White Ribbon ambassador Kevin Saul, who spoke to a crowd containing police, council representatives, anti-domestic violence advocates and members of the community at the Church Street Rotunda on Wednesday.
The people had gathered for the launch of a new anti-domestic violence poster that will be distributed and displayed about Dubbo, which coincided with White Ribbon Day.
With instances of domestic violence occurring so frequently, Mr Saul said it was the responsibility of every man to speak out against the abhorrent crime.
“Men have to stand up to other men,” he said.
“It is a men’s issue as it is their wives, their sisters and their daughters this is happening to.
“It is a minority that are doing it but the majority need to stop it.
“They need to step up and tell their mates to pull their heads in.”
Mr Saul spoke of the alarming statistics around domestic violence, which he said resulted in one in three women being victims of the crime.
“That means there are some 7000 victims here in Dubbo,” he said.
“That is not acceptable and it needs to stop.
“20 years ago domestic violence was behind closed doors and now it is out in the open.”
NSW Corrective Services Community Corrections unit leader Kevin Jones spoke of the important role education could play in changing attitudes toward domestic and family violence.
“It’s about educating men of today and men of tomorrow,” he said.
“He needs to get it as soon as he is old enough to learn. It starts with gender equality and we need to end the age of entitlement for men.”
At the end of proceedings, everyone was asked to swear an oath that was read by Mr Saul, ‘I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent men’s violence against women’.
For more information visit www.whiteribbon.org.au.