Ambassador appointed
Real estate consultant Rozana Cachay, originally from Ngataki and now working for Kaitaia firm Haze Real Estate, has been appointed to the role of White Ribbon Ambassador.
White Ribbon is a campaign that educates men about non-violent attitudes towards women. It is aimed at countering family violence, campaign manager Rob McCann saying the seriousness of the cause was indicated by the 118,921 incidents that police investigated in 2016.
Ambassadors were a key way in which the campaign challenged the behaviour of abusive men and built support for non-violence.
“White Ribbon welcomed Rozana as an Ambassador,” he added, Rozana saying she wanted to contribute to promoting non-violence through education and advocacy.
“We need to stop the cycle of domestic violence,” she said. “Men who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence in their youth are statistically more likely to go on to become perpetrators. We need to actively choose new strategies for dealing with conflict. Substance abuse, alcoholism, mental health problems and porn addictions all contribute to the problem.
“My goal is to educate men in our community on how to behave with respect towards women, without violence, so they realise it is not okay to physically or emotionally abuse women. For a relationship to be healthy it is essential that men listen to women, treat them as individuals, show respect and empathise with their partners.
“Men who have a problem with violence need to ask for help. We can refer men to the right organisations to help stop recurring violence in families, and to ensure men and women have happier, healthier relationships.”