Safety Bay students support campaign against violence

Safety Bay Senior High School is joining the fight against domestic violence, wearing ribbons last Friday in support of White Ribbon Day.

White Ribbon Day is a global campaign aiming to end men’s violence against women and girls, promote gender equality, healthy relationships and a new version of masculinity.

Safety Bay Senior High School’s students services head Nat Crook, along with the City of Rockingham and Rockingham police, organised a sausage sizzle and concert at the school on Friday.

A raffle was held during the week to raise money for the cause, with prizes donated by Rockingham businesses. Deputy principal Dwayne White said it was heartening to see the number of students supporting the campaign.

“There are so many students who have donated money and are wearing a white ribbon to call out men’s violence against women and girls,” he said.

Police Sergeant Jo Edwards said early intervention was important in reducing family violence incidents.

“Rockingham has twice the amount of families living below the poverty line than the National average, so it is so important to get the message out there that violence against women is never okay,” she said.

The school raised about $562 for White Ribbon Australia and will next year become a White Ribbon School, embedding the message across the community that violence against women is never OK.