Students Blow the Whistle on Violence

Students Blow the Whistle on Violence

The Tertiary Women’s Focus Group (TWFG) are today launching the Blow the Whistle campaign on their campuses.

“Acts of violence, particularly towards women, increase around major sporting events,” said Caitlin Dunham, National Women’s Rights Officer (NWRO) for the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), “This campaign aims to target this culture of violence at the grass-roots level to change national attitudes.”

Tertiary campuses around the country will be using posters, whistles, and coasters to convey messages such as “Good Hands Don’t Hit” and that a good “After Match Function” is cuddling on the couch.

“Tertiary sports teams are a breeding ground for national sports players, and sports people are community role models” said Dunham, “If they get on board with this campaign it will show the public that violence due to sports is not acceptable and lead to a culture change.”

The official launch for tertiary campuses is being held at Victoria University, meeting room 2, Student Union Building from 5:00pm onwards. Black Cap Peter McGlashan will be speaking about the campaign.

“With a lot of focus being placed on large sporting events recently, now is the best time for these messages to be getting out there.”

Dunham concluded, “All New Zealanders should be able to watch and enjoy important games without worrying that a bad result will cause them physical harm.”

NZUSA is the national representative body for tertiary students and has been advocating on student issues since 1929. The TWFG is the autonomous women’s caucus within NZUSA.