Recent comments by Prime Minister John Key, a White Ribbon Ambassador, accusing other members of parliament of supporting rapists has caused great offence to many people.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s comments, White Ribbon Trust Chair, Ric Odom, said, “The comments do not reflect the Kaupapa of White Ribbon and do not support our efforts to engage with men (which includes working and speaking to perpetrators and former perpetrators) across New Zealand. These are men that must be encouraged to change their attitudes and behaviour and the work of those who deal with these men should not be disparaged.”
Odom said that it was ironic that the matter has erupted in November—the month where the White Ribbon campaign is focussing on the issue of violence in New Zealand. “Equally ironic is that our campaign theme for 2015 is based on respectful relationships. It is a powerful and relevant theme and White Ribbon supporters around the country have been working hard to achieve what we hope will be our most successful campaign ever. Comments made by others—even the Prime Minister—should not, and must not distract us from our collective goal and passion,” he added.
Odom stressed that White Ribbon has been apolitical. “We have a single focus—that is, highlighting the issue of men’s violence towards women in this country; calling for an end to this terrible blight on our society; and asking all men (and women) to join together to take responsibility for the issue, personally and collectively, in order to create a society in New Zealand where this form of violence is eliminated,” he said.
He further added that the campaign will “never commit condone or remain silent about violence towards women” and that they “will be contacting the Prime Minister’s office outlining our concerns”.
Odom stated, “White Ribbon Trustees, on behalf of all our supporters, will be raising our concerns. We will also be discussing our expectations of White Ribbon Ambassadors—all of whom have committed to White Ribbon. We will not remain silent. But we are also firmly focused on how we can best work with our dedicated and passionate volunteer supporters to achieve our goals—the long- term goal of eliminating violence towards women, and our immediate goal of delivering a powerful campaign this November to once again bring this issue into focus for all New Zealanders.”