Sep 6, 2018
On Thursday the 31st of August 200 people attended our biggest Women in Data event to date. It was a day filled with amazing talks from speakers of different backgrounds and we were excited to have a White Ribbon ambassador, Simon Earle, talk about how leaders can make real change following the White Ribbon philosophy. It was quite new for us to have a talk that was very much not focused on data, but it really resonated with the audience. This was the first Women in Data event that we charged admission and all proceeds went straight to White Ribbon. So far, we have raised over $6,000 for the charity with more donations to come!
For those who are not aware, White Ribbon is a charity that has a vision of a nation that respects women, in which every woman lives in safety, free from all forms of men’s abuse. Their purpose is to engage men and to make women’s safety a man’s issue too. This is a preventative charity that aims to stop the issues before they happen.
Simon is an engaging speaker and he brought to our attention a number of statistics that were very poignant (all taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics):
- 1 in 3 women will at some point experience some physical or sexual violence perpetrated by someone known to them,
- 1 in 5 women over 18 have been stalked by a man,
- 1 in 5 women experience workplace harassment,
- Indigenous women and girls are 35 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence.
For a room with 80% women some of these stats were not surprising. The great thing about the day was that Simon made it clear that White Ribbon are focused on men and how they can help/make a change. We had 35-40 men stand up and take the White Ribbon oath and we had some discussion on how men can make a difference. The oath that was taken is:
“I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent men’s violence against women”
Simon encouraged any men wanting to make a start on understanding the above issues to take this oath as a first step. In addition to this we received some clear instruction on what you or your company can do to start making a difference:
- Visit the website to learn more about the charity – https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/
- Become an accredited White Ribbon company and we challenge all those in attendance to look at how your company can do this – https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/stop-violence-against-women/get-workplace-involved/workplace-accreditation/ – some great companies like Virgin Australia, the NRL and Mirvac already are.
- This accreditation helps you take active steps towards stopping violence against women.
- You must meet 15 criteria to create a safer and more respectful workplace and we encourage everyone to check out the links above.
- Wear a white ribbon
- Spread the message. White Ribbon day is the 25th of November.
Another point that stuck out from Simons talk was that although it may seem inconsequential everything from the fact that our heroes ‘The Avengers’ being predominantly male can affect how people, and especially children, view the world. In order to create an environment of inclusiveness then our pop culture heroes, government, board rooms and more need to be representative.
To start making a change you must start with yourself and that is what we plan to do here at Precision Sourcing by looking at how we can become an accredited company.
If you want to contact the White Ribbon charity you can do so here:
- White Ribbon Australia
PO Box 6303
North Sydney, NSW 2059 - Phone: 02 9045 8444 or 1300 967 298 (outside NSW)
Facsimile: 02 9045 8499
Email:admin@whiteribbon.org.au
