THE annual White Ribbon 16 Days of Action campaign gets under way on Sunday, November 25 – promoting an end to Violence Against Women.

The White Ribbon campaign is a worldwide movement which directly addresses men –so they understand the scale of the problem, and become part of the solution.

People are encouraged to wear white ribbons and in doing so pledge ‘to never commit, condone or remain silent about men’s violence against women’.

The North Ayrshire campaign is supported by the North Ayrshire Violence Against Women Partnership. The members include North Ayrshire Council, Women’s Aid, Police Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, Caledonia Project, Community Planning Partnership, Barnardo’s, Break the Silence, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The campaign in North Ayrshire gets under way on November 25 with a showing of the movie “Suffragetes” in the Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine.

The launch will be followed by a calendar of events and initiatives which will be delivered across North Ayrshire on each day of the campaign, giving local people the opportunity to get involved and sign ‘The Pledge’.

The campaign will culminate with the annual ‘Reclaim the Night’ walk on Thursday, December 6, at 5pm from the Trinity Church steps to the Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine.

North Ayrshire Council leader Joe Cullinane said: “It is particularly important for me to stand alongside girls and women to send out the strong message that Violence Against Women will not be tolerated.”

You can find out more about this year’s campaign by visiting www.northayrshire.community/ events/.