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| White Ribbon Day is marked on 25 November each year and is an opportunity for governments, businesses and community groups to focus on a problem that affects many people throughout the world. |
Have you heard of "white ribbon" campaign? A white ribbon is not abadgeof purity or perfection. It simply says you believe that violence against women is unacceptable. Wear a white ribbon on November 25.
White Ribbon Day is marked on 25 November each year and is an opportunity for governments, businesses and community groups to focus on a problem that affects many people throughout the world.
The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest effort in the world of men working to end men's violence against women, and wearing a white ribbon is seen as a personalpledgenever to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.
Violent crimes committed against women and girls - like domestic violence, sexual assault andpeople trafficking- continue to be pervasive around the world. Violence against women and girls affects everyone in the community. Men's lives are personally affected if their girlfriends, wives, daughters, mothers, grandmothers or sisters experience violence or the threat of violence.
 A history of the day
In 1991, a handful of men in Canada decided that they had a responsibility to urge men to speak out against violence against women. They decided that wearing a white ribbon would be a symbol of men's opposition to men's violence against women.
After only six weeks preparation, as many as one hundred thousand men across Canada wore a white ribbon. Many others were drawn into discussion and debate on the issue of men's violence.
Voice of men wearing white ribbons
Men wear white ribbons on November 25 each year because:
We know that a fist in the face, a kick in the ribs, being forced into sex, and having one's daily life controlled and policed and tormented, are horrible things that should never happen.
We care for our wives, our girlfriends, our sisters, daughters, our female friends, our co-workers.
We know it is men's wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends whose lives are limited by violence and abuse; and, whether we know about it or not, many of the women we know have been subject to men's violence.
We know that men don't have to be violent, that men can do better, that men can be and often are loving, caring, and nonviolent.
We want girls and women, and boys and men, to be free from the threat of other men's violence.
We know that men will benefit from a world free of violence against women, a world based on gender equality: in our relations with women, instead of experiencing distrust and disconnection we will find closeness and connection. We will be able to take up a healthier, emotionally in-touch and proud masculinity.
The White Ribbon Day in China
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) introduced the campaign to China in 2001.
The new Chinese group is a community-based organization composed of lawyers, doctors, journalists, college students and teachers, community workers and other social workers.
A written statement from the group calls on the whole of society, particularly men, to oppose any kind of violence against women, to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women, to offer the best possible assistance to women victims of violence, especially domestic violence, and to make positive contributions to the elimination of violence against women and to gender equality.
The White Ribbon Campaign has been so far introduced to local communities in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, East China's Jiangxi Province, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Central China's Hunan Province.
Background
"白絲帶"活動的發起：1989年年底，加拿大一名男子因認為發展機會都被女性奪走了，于是在蒙特利爾一所大學內，槍殺了十四名年輕女子后自殺。兩年后，一群男性期望社會大眾應該從這悲劇中來反省，男性不該再對男人加諸女人的暴力保持沉默，所以發起了這個運動。目前白絲帶運動已擴展到美、歐、澳以及南非等地，加拿大每年幾乎有50萬人配帶白絲帶。白絲帶運動的發起組織鼓勵男士在每年11月25日"國際消除對婦女的暴力日"到12月6日加拿大"對婦女的暴力國家紀念行動日"期間佩戴白絲帶。
"白絲帶"活動的由來：消除對婦女的暴力是社會的共同責任。
"白絲帶"的含義：佩戴白絲帶是一種個人宣言，表示佩戴者承諾本人絕不參與對婦女施暴，并且對針對婦女的暴力決不保持沉默。
"白絲帶"活動在中國：中國第一次"白絲帶"活動是在2001年"三八國際婦女節"前2月15日舉辦的。
(英語點津陳蓓編輯）
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