BOSTON, Dec. 6, 2012—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley is joining former state senator Jarrett Barrios and Jane Doe Inc. in an annual call for men to help stop violence against women.
Conley was selected to co-chair the sixth annual Massachusetts White Ribbon Day Campaign, which remembers the 1989 massacre of 14 women on a Montreal college campus. The campaign was created to urge men to make a pledge not to commit, condone, or remain silent on violence against women.
“If we want to end violence against women, it makes sense to start with men and boys,” Conley said. “Jane Doe’s White Ribbon Day Campaign is a chance to do just that. As a father, as a coach, and as DA, I want male leaders of every age to know the difference between strength and violence and between commitment and control. The message of mutual respect in every relationship is one I look forward to sharing in Boston, Suffolk County, and beyond.”
Conley will serve as co-chair with Barrios, now CEO of the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts.
“When I led the Senate Public Safety Committee, I worked to make the laws protect survivors of sexual and domestic violence,” Barrios said. “Then, as now, I worked hard to protect the vulnerable, and believe that the most powerful antidote for violence is education. White Ribbon Day is an unparalleled opportunity to raise the bar on the public’s understanding of violence against women, and their engagement in changing these cycles of violence.”
Mary R. Lauby, Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc., said, “Dec. 6 marks the 23rd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre and the 21st anniversary of the international White Ribbon Campaign. Each year we remember these tragic and unnecessary deaths and recommit ourselves to eradicating the root causes that foster and perpetuate violence against women. We cannot end sexual and domestic violence without a broader social transformation that supports equality and justice.”
Jane Doe Inc. adopted the White Ribbon Campaign because, while sexual and domestic violence affect everyone, men have a unique role to play in ending male violence against women.
“Men like District Attorney Conley and Mr. Barrios are proof that men are expanding their understanding of what it means to be a man to include a commitment to healthy masculinity and non-violence,” Lauby said.
Jane Doe Inc’s Massachusetts White Ribbon Day Campaign aims to engage men who are ready to help take an active role in making a difference in their communities, their workplaces, and their families. Men are asked to help shift the conversation from being the protectors of women to engaging other men in ending men’s violence against women.
“This year’s co-chairs have demonstrated in their professional careers that protecting public safety also requires being prepared and working to prevent harm,” Lauby said.
To learn more, please visit www.JaneDoe.org and http://whiteribbonday.janedoe.org/.
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