Campaign targets domestic violence
San Mateo County Times, 12/5/05
By Christine Morente
BURLINGAME
Using white ribbons as its symbol, a new campaign is fighting domestic violence by educating the likely perpetrators: boys and men.
Spearheaded by Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, the White Ribbon campaign was launched today at the Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) facility in Burlingame.
“What I’m hoping to do is to raise the level of consciousness, understanding and education of domestic violence within the male community,” Yee said Thursday. “Men and boys need to recognize that most of the perpetrators are men, and we’ve got to learn how to deal with frustrations and how to deal with aggressions.”
It is difficult to get statistics on the number of domestic violence cases in the Bay Area: CORA alone has responded to 2,600 9-1-1 incidents and put 80 victims and their children into emergency shelters in 2004, said organization representative Carlos Jalpa.
Jalpa said he sees the White Ribbon campaign as a way to increase male involvement and awareness that domestic violence should not be tolerated.
Already, more men are getting involved in the movement because it’s now seen as a community problem.
“It is successful outreach efforts like the White Ribbon campaign that are urging people to speak out,” Jalpa said. “People are learning that (domestic violence) is happening everywhere.”
Yee said he saw instances of domestic violence when he was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and while serving on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education.
The White Ribbon campaign began in Canada in 1991, and Yee said he decided to bring it to California as a coordinated effort. In January, Yee plans to introduce a resolution in the state legislature to officially declare the campaign and then sponsor different activities throughout the year.
“I think the white ribbon is going to be an effective message to the extent that we all work together,“ he said. ”People are going to see the white ribbon and be constantly reminded of the tragedy of women being abused by men and need to put a stop to it.”
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