White Ribbon is Australia’s only national, male led campaign to end men’s violence against women. The White Ribbon vision is to have all women live in safety free from all forms of men’s violence. Their mission is making women’s safety a man’s issue too.

The campaign works through primary prevention initiatives involving awareness raising and education, and programs with youth, schools, workplaces and across the broader community.

White Ribbon’s website says “Intimate partner violence is the most common type of violence against women, affecting 30 per cent of women worldwide, according to the 2013 World Health Organization report ‘Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence’.

Violence against women is a serious problem in Australia, where:

• Over 12 months, on average, one woman is killed every week as a result of intimate partner violence.
• A woman is most likely to be killed by her male partner in her home.
• Domestic and family violence is the principle cause of homelessness for women and their children.
• Intimate partner violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and ill-health in Australian women aged 15-44.
• One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by someone known to them.
• One in four children are exposed to domestic violence, which is a recognised form of child abuse.
• The cost of violence against women to the Australian economy is estimated to rise to $15.6 billion per annum.
• One in five women experience harassment within the workplace.
• One in five women over 18 has been stalked during her lifetime.”

I’ll be donating 10% of all The Silver Forge sales for September to this very worthy cause, so if you’d like to help out, head over and and get yourself or a woman you love a little something from The Silver Forge shop, knowing that you’ll be making a difference.