Hull to be 'White Ribbon Town'?

ABUSIVE men in Hull will be given more support to stop violence towards women.

Hull City Council has applied to join a national anti-violence campaign that would demonstrate Hull's commitment to reducing domestic abuse.

The White Ribbon Campaign is an international charity that encourages men to take an active role in stopping violence towards women.

Hull hopes to be named a White Ribbon Town next year, following in the footsteps of York, Leeds, Cardiff and Bristol.

Vicki Paddison, strategic domestic violence services manager for the council, said becoming a White Ribbon Town will help protect more women in the city from harm.

She said: "We have really great services in Hull to protect women against domestic violence, but there's more work to be done.

"We need to push out a zero-tolerance message to the wider community to encourage people to report abuse and to challenge it whenever they see it.

"Achieving this status is going to be a great way to raise awareness about domestic violence and address the social norms that can lead to violent behaviour."

Every year, three million women and girls experience rape, domestic violence or abuse in the UK.

Campaigners believe that encouraging men to take an active role in tackling domestic violence will reduce the threat to women and challenge the stereotypes of what it means to be a man.

Chris Green, chief executive for the White Ribbon Campaign in the UK, said: "Domestic violence is the worst human rights violation in the world today.

"Being named a White Ribbon Town can give a real boost and focus to work that is already taking place in local areas and can help prevent domestic abuse.

"We would really welcome Hull to be a part of that."

The campaign is expected to launch in Hull on Valentine's Day next year and will be supported by ambassadors from Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, as well as local sporting personalities.

Plans are also in place to introduce the White Ribbon scheme to schools, colleges and universities in Hull as a way of educating boys and girls about healthy relationships.

Ms Paddison says it is important to engage with young people to be open about issues surrounding women and violence.

She said: "We want to attract male ambassadors who can go into schools and talk to young boys about these issues and educate them about violent behaviour."

Mr Green agrees that targeting young people is a good way of getting the message to stick.

He said: "We need to break down that intergenerational link between men and violence and work with children and families to eradicate this sort of violence completely.

"Although children can learn violence from their parents, they can also learn love and respect and that is what we hope the White Ribbon Campaign will achieve."

The cost of becoming a White Ribbon Town is £800 a year, but Ms Paddison thinks the benefits will easily outstrip the costs.

She said: "The campaign is already a part of the city's domestic violence strategy and we want this to be quite a big thing for Hull.

"It's going to be a controversial campaign – I don't expect every comment about it to be positive and I expect there will be some challenges.

"But if it gets people talking about domestic violence, then that's a good thing."

The council is also planning to extend the campaign to clubs and pubs to reduce violence towards women in those environments.

Ms Paddison said: "This campaign also links into the UK City of Culture 2017 because we now have a responsibility to show that we can be a leader in this and that violence against women is not acceptable in Hull."

Milorad Vasic, director for Children and Family Services at Hull City Council said: "It is important for us to highlight the different forms of abuse that women are subject to, and openly discuss it.

"By raising awareness of the physical and psychological abuse suffered by many of our young girls and women, we can work together to ensure that it does not destroy their lives and any future opportunities presented to them."

Visit whiteribboncampaign.co.uk for more information on the White Ribbon Campaign.

Strength To Change working with men to end abuse

One Hull organisation that is already working with men in Hull to reduce the level of violence against women is Strength To Change.

The council-funded service is designed as a resource for men who are concerned about violent or abusive behaviour in their relationships.

The project offers support for men to receive help on dealing with their problems.

The initiative is aimed at enhancing the safety of women and children and giving men an opportunity to change their behaviour.

Strength To Change has seen great success in the city, with police revealing they have received about 70 per cent fewer calls relating to each man who successfully completed the programme.