Rallying together to stop violence against women
A special rally has taken place as part of a campaign to stop violence against women.
The event was held to mark the beginning of the 16 Days of Action campaign against genderbased violence in our society.
The rally, organised by the West Lothian Gender Based Violence Partnership, is the first of a series of local events taking place during the campaign which started on November 25 and runs until International Human Rights Day on December 10.
Attendees included local school pupils, third sector organisations and representatives from West Lothian Council, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue.
A minute’s silence took place to honour the women who have lost their lives, as well as those who have survived domestic abuse, before the audience heard a series of empowering speeches including a key speech from a service user of West Lothian Women’s Aid.
The event was opened and closed by performances from members of the West Lothian Schools Pipe Band. A key message from the rally was that domestic abuse is not just a women’s issue but rather a
societal one. With this in mind, the local campaign is challenging all members of the public to think about the role they can play as individuals in preventing domestic violence with the campaign theme of “What Will You Do?”
A series of multi-agency events have also been arranged during the 16 days, including online training sessions which
are designed to raise further awareness of the cause and to help educate society on what each and every individual can do to play their part in ending domestic violence against women and children.
Chair of the West Lothian Community Planning Partnership and depute council leader, Kirsteen Sullivan, said: “I’d like to thank everyone
who attended the 16 Days of Action event. Abuse of any kind is not welcome in West Lothian and it is vital that
we raise awareness of domestic violence and the traumatic consequences it brings.
“Hopefully this campaign will encourage individuals to seek help should they need it and encourage all of us to think about what we can potentially do as individuals to help prevent abuse and keep others safe from harm. Help is available for
anyone experiencing genderbased violence or domestic abuse through the specialists in the council’s Domestic and Sexual Assault Team (DASAT) and West Lothian Women’s Aid (WLWA)”
Ilena Brown, manager of West Lothian Women’s Aid added: “As citizens of West Lothian, we need your help in taking a stand against gender-based violence.
“By each of us taking personal responsibility for our individual actions and behaviours
collectively we can make the communities of West Lothian a safer place to be for women and children.”
The start of the 16 Days of Action campaign also coincided with White Ribbon Day.
The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest effort to end men’s violence against women and encourages men and boys to wear a white ribbon to show their support.
Search 16 Days of Action online for more information.