Below are some frequently asked questions about the Black Ribbon campaign in New Zealand.
Who is behind the Black Ribbon New Zealand campaign?
Black Ribbon New Zealand is staffed by volunteers who have undertaken to
monitor email communications, act as social media contributors, and
contribute to the overall purpose of the campaign's mission. Volunteers
may or may not wish to be publicly identified and their right to
anonymity is respected.
What is the campaign's mission?
Black Ribbon's mission is to create a national awareness of violence
perpetrated upon others, without utilising messages that exclude
responsibility from any group, and to provide positive messages to
empower all perpetrators to become more self-aware of their own
behavioiurs.
What does Black Ribbon hope to accomplish?
Black Ribbon hopes that by encouraging all New Zealanders to recognise
our own potential for violence, especially domestic and sexual violence,
we can make more focused inroads to stopping it.
How can I contact Black Ribbon New Zealand?
At this time, Black Ribbon is only available to contact by email. Please see the bottom of the page for details.
Is Black Ribbon New Zealand part of the Men's Right's Movement?
No. Black Ribbon does not focus solely on men and boys as victims of
abuse, although messages recognising their victimhood will be made from
time to time. The White Ribbon campaign focuses messages towards men as
perpetrators of violence towards women, so we tend not to overlap their
area of focus.
Black Ribbon's target audience are New Zealanders in general. We believe
that all human beings are emotional, and that heightened emotion
occasionally results in violence. Therefore all New Zealanders are the
target for messages that assist them to come to terms with their own
propensity for violence, in whatever form that may take, and stop.
Is Black Ribbon Government funded?
No. Not at this time.
Is Black Ribbon in competition with the White Ribbon Campaign?
Black Ribbon New Zealand and the White Ribbon New Zealand campaign have the same goal, but different target audiences and differing bases upon which we deliver our messages.
UPDATE: 20 July 2016 - In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with a
white ribbon as its iconic symbol. As a result of the actions of White Ribbon Australia in its persecution of Erin Pizzey and her WhiteRibbon.org site, Black Ribbon New Zealand will not support the campaign, it's actions,
or it's ideological and non-factual stand in relation to domestic violence.