Salford City Reds go white in a stand against domestic abuse
24th November 2006Salford City Reds are going white today (Friday 24 November) to show their support of the need to tackle domestic abuse.
Players from the club will sport a white ribbon ahead of International White Ribbon Day on Saturday (25 November)
Primarily aimed at men, the campaign, which is now in its eight year, encourages them to make a pledge that they will never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.
However, both men and women are being invited to wear the ribbon which is about challenging the acceptability of domestic abuse, helping victims to break the silence, speaking out about what is often still a taboo subject and encouraging a united front against violence and abuse in the home.
One in four women and one in six men will be a victim of domestic abuse at some point in their lives. Every minute in the UK, police receive a call from someone reporting domestic violence.
Salford City Reds captain Malcolm Alker said, “Domestic violence should not have to be tolerated by any individual. We all have a responsibility to take a stand against this abuse instead of letting it be kept behind closed doors. Salford City Reds are proud to be supporting the White Ribbon campaign and working with Salford City Council in challenging domestic abuse.”
Meanwhile, White Ribbon Day will see high level activity in Salford, with a mobile police unit at Salford Civic Centre (10.00am-12.30pm) and Salford shopping City (1.00pm- 3.30pm) where police and staff from other agencies involved in tackling domestic abuse will be on hand to offer information and advice.
Staff will also be using the opportunity to conduct a brief survey to gauge the level of understanding about domestic abuse. A similar survey carried out earlier this year was encouraging, revealing a good level of awareness of where people could go to get help and that domestic abuse covers more than just physical attacks.
Salford is already making important inroads into tackling domestic abuse. An intensive eight-week multi-agency crackdown campaign earlier this year saw an increase in arrests and partnership working is continuing, most notably through fortnightly conferences to consider high risk domestic abuse cases.
Another example of the good work being done is through the city's specialist domestic violence court. Salford is one of 25 areas in the country and one of just two in Greater Manchester involved in the pilot scheme to provide better and more co-ordinated services for victims of domestic abuse so that more perpetrators are brought to justice.
September 2005, saw three convictions for domestic abuse related offences, compared with 22 in September 2006. These figures, along with much increased figures for finalised prosecutions, are being largely attributed to the success of this new court.
Said Irene Ward, Salford's inter-agency domestic violence prevention co-ordinator: "Domestic abuse is everyone's business. We all have a responsibility to send a clear message that it is unacceptable and wearing a white ribbon is a clear way of demonstrating that."
Added Cllr David Lancaster, lead member for crime and disorder: "Salford agencies are united in their determination to tackle domestic abuse and White Ribbon Day is a day to recognise and reflect on that, but also to acknowledge how much still needs to be done to combat what are truly abhorrent crimes."