Hollywood Star Urges Scottish Men to Oppose Violence Against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights
New White Ribbon Scotland website launched at STUC congress.
Hollywood star Brian Cox today urged Scottish men to do more in tackling Scotland’s shameful record on violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.
The Dundee born actor, whose film credits include Rob Roy, The Bourne Identity and Troy, expressed his support for the White Ribbon Scotland campaign as it launched a new website, whiteribbonscotland.org.uk , to enable Scottish men to take a stand against violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.
White Ribbon Scotland is part of an international movement that encourages men's involvement in stopping violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights. Supporting organisations include Amnesty International, Men’s Health Forum Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and Zero Tolerance.
The new website, being launched at STUC Congress, enables men to sign up to the White Ribbon Pledge “not to commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights” and to leave messages and upload pictures of themselves wearing a campaign white ribbon. It also provides links, resources and ideas to enable men to take action.
Joining Brian Cox at the top of the list of supporting signatures are: novelist Christopher Brookmyre; Gordon Strachan and Walter Smith - Managers of Celtic and Rangers football clubs; the First Minister and the Scottish leaders of Labour and the Liberal Democrats; religious figures including His Eminence Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Right Reverend David Lunan, Chief Executive of the Scottish Islamic Foundation Osama Saeed, and Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the STUC.
Brian Cox said:
"Ever since I was a wee boy in the playground I've hated violence. Violence against anyone. But I'm particularly opposed to violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights: It's the action of a coward. I'm dead against it"
John Watson, Scottish Programme Director for Amnesty International, said:
“Most men aren’t violent, but we tend to think that violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights is something we can leave to Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s groups to tackle. Actually there is a great deal that men can do to change the attitudes in society that allow violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights to take place.”
Mark Ward, National Co-ordinator of Men’s Health Forum Scotland, said:
“Men's Health Forum Scotland is fully committed to supporting the White Ribbon Campaign in Scotland. Violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights is an issue for each and every one of us, and all men have a role to play. Violence can play no part in a healthy society and we would encourage men from across Scotland to sign the White Ribbon Pledge, and then to put it into action in their own lives”
The website will be officially launched today at the STUC Annual Congress in Perth where tomorrow (Tuesday April 21st) will be declared a 'White Ribbon Day' and all male delegates will be urged to wear a white ribbon to show their support for the campaign.
Grahame Smith, General Secretary of the STUC said:
“The workplace and trade unions have important roles to play to challenge cultures which allow violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, along with exploitative and demeaning attitudes towards Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, to occur. I am pleased to sign up to the White Ribbon pledge, and the STUC welcomes the launch of the White Ribbon Scotland website at our Annual Congress this week”.