White Ribbon Campaign

In 1991, after the brutal mass shooting of 14 female students at the University of Montreal, a handful of men in Canada decided they had a responsibility to urge men to speak out against violence against women. Since then this campaign, run by and aimed at men, has grown into an international effort.

Wearing a white ribbon is a symbol of men's opposition to men's violence against women. It is a personal pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

Each year, men and boys are asked to wear a ribbon for one or two weeks, starting on November 25, the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women. However, WRC is also an educational organization that consistently works “to encourage reflection and discussion that leads to personal and collective action among men.”

Throughout the year, the campaign encourages men to:

To support this effort, the WRC distributes Education and Action kits to schools and maintains a website, which is full of resources. In addition, WRC members routinely speak out on issues of public policy.

Goal: This campaign and the resources and tools associated with it were developed to engage men in communities to organize, raise awareness and speak out against violence. Educational materials are designed to challenge knowledge attitudes beliefs and behaviors that lead to men’s violence.

• do educational work in schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities about the problem of violence
• support local women's groups
• raise money for the international educational efforts of the WRC