YMCA: campaign against family violence

Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 10:43 am
Press Release: YMCA

YMCA Hawke’s Bay joins in campaign against family violence

YMCA Hawke’s Bay is fully committed to the 2010 White Ribbon campaign and its stand against violence towards women; two senior staff will be donning motorbike leathers to ride in the North Island White Ribbon Ride to promote the cause.

This is the second year that Peter Andersson, chief executive, and Greg Ireland, OSCAR co-ordinator will join in the motorbike ride, organised by the Families Commission as part of the White Ribbon campaign, which comes through Hawke’s Bay on 23 November.

White Ribbon is a campaign led by men who condemn violence against women. A white ribbon is an international symbol used by communities to show that they do not condone violence towards women

Violence is endemic within New Zealand. One in three women are victims of violence from a partner, while on average fourteen women are killed each year by a member of their own family.

In New Zealand most violence by men against women takes place in the home; more than 3500 convictions for assaults on women are recorded each year.

“YMCA works with children and youth and we are acutely aware of the impact that violence in homes has on their wellbeing, not just physically but emotionally and mentally,” says Mr Andersson. “We aren’t social workers but we work in with families and we see this campaign as a close fit with what our organisation stands for.”

All YMCA Hawke’s Bay staff will be wearing a white ribbon on 23 November as their personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

Mr Andersson, a keen rider of a BMW K1 1000cc bike, and Mr Ireland on his Suzuki Gladias 650, will join the ride from its start in Tauranga on Saturday 20 November. From there they will travel with the contingent of approximately 30 riders through North Island.

The group will arrive in Hawke’s Bay on 23 November, stopping in Waipukurau, Te Aute College, Flaxmere and Napier, before moving on to Wairoa and ending the day in Gisborne.

At each stop there will be an official welcome and a chance for the local communities to promote the anti-violence message locally with events, rallies, sausage sizzles, forums and hakas.

“This is an opportunity for communities to show their support for White Ribbon and acknowledge that violence in New Zealand families is unacceptable,” says Mr Andersson. “We welcome riders to join the ride at any of the stops and ride for as long as they can to pledge their support to the cause.

“White Ribbon is a symbol of our intolerance towards violence; more than 500,000 New Zealanders wore ribbons last year as a pledge to never commit or condone violence against women.”

In 2009 the White Ribbon Ride visited over 35 towns and cities throughout the North Island with more than 200 riders taking part. Riders had the option of traveling the whole distance or joining it for smaller runs.

The ride starts in Tauranga and travels through the centre of the North Island to Wellington and then north via eastern and western routes to Auckland finishing in Bream Bay on 27 November.

The ride will be led by the Patriot Motorcycle Club and Super Maori Fullas, brothers who grew up the Super Māori Fulla way – surrounded by love and respect. Now they use the visibility and mobility of their bikes to encourage all New Zealanders to show that they are against violence towards women.

The Super Maori Fullas will be supported by the Patriot Motorcycle Club whose members are drawn from serving or past members of the New Zealand Defence Forces.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

YMCA

Building strong kids, strong families and strong communities

The Y has been in New Zealand for over 168 years, building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. There are 48 Y centres across New Zealand.

Contact YMCA

• Website - ymca.org.nz
• Facebook
• Email - national@ymca.org.nz