Men are urged to condemn domestic violence

A campaign urging men to speak out against domestic violence is arriving in Oldham.

Oldham Family Crisis Group and Oldham Trades Union Council are to host a stall tomorrow (22) at the Spindles Shopping Centre to raise awareness of the problem of attacks against women.

The White Ribbon Campaign originated in Canada with the aim of encouraging men to “come out” against domestic violence against women and send a powerful message to the perpetrators.

It has now been taken up by women’s support groups and trade unions across the UK and is well-established in this country.

Days of action are promoted every November and it’s hoped to make it an annual event in Oldham.

The stall will have an array of materials and will be asking men to pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about domestic violence against women.

Violence against women causes more deaths and disability among women aged 15 - 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war.

Oldham TUC secretary Martin Gleeson said: “Domestic violence is an issue for trade unions because the victims often experience difficulty in coping emotionally with the abuse, and this can affect their performance at work.

“If employers and trade union representatives are not aware of the warning signs and fail to deal with the employee sympathetically, this can lead to inappropriate criticism and even disciplinary action which compounds the victim’s problems.

“Despite the progress made by trade unions on equality in the workplace, overall membership is still predominantly male. We have a particular responsibility therefore to take up the aims of the White Ribbon Campaign. That is to mobilise our members from the peer group of perpetrators to try to reduce occurrences of domestic violence towards women.”

OFCG Co-ordinator Jenny Taylor said she was pleased the campaign is taking off in Oldham.

She added: “We are an organisation that supports women and children affected by domestic abuse; as such we are delighted to see that more and more men every year take this opportunity to make a public stand against male violence towards women.

“One in four women experience domestic abuse at some time in their life - this is a shocking state of affairs, and it will only change when attitudes change. This Campaign will do so much to help that.”

OFCG operates a 24-hour emergency helpline for victims of domestic abuse on 0161 628 4991.