White Ribbon Day with "Saheli"

White Ribbon Day, which is commemorated on 25^th November, is a great initiative where people, men in particular, take a stand on the violence against women. This year, the Enfield Saheli held a White Ribbon Day congregation on Friday 4^th December, which had many dignitaries attending, such as the Deputy Mayor of Enfield, Cllr Bernadette Lappage; Cllr Yasemin Brett, Labour Party Cabinet Member for Community Organisations and Culture; as well as MP David Burrowes, Member of Parliament for Enfield, Southgate; plus many more.

The Chief Executive Officer at Enfield Saheli, Krishna Pujara hosted the event and ensured the programme ran smoothly.

The Chair of Saheli, Esther McLaughlin addressed the attendees. She said, “The reason why we have this day today is because White Ribbon Day is a very important day in the world. It began from a movement that started in South America in the late 80s. Governments were killing women activists and they decided to have a day called 25^th November, which was about anti-violence against women. In Canada, in 1991, there was a massacre of girl students and Canadian men stood up and said, 'No'. It then moved forward and in 1998, the UN set up International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. From then, in Britain, White Britain Day began.”

She further stated, “What is different about White Ribbon Day is that is also gives men the opportunity to pledge against violence against women because they are, after all, half the human race, and women alone can't stand up for violence against women.”

Cllr Bernadette Lappage honoured the volunteers, workers and participants of the Enfield Saheli community. “I am here to honour you and tell you how special you are, and that we are a wonderful family in Enfield... The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest effort in the world working to end men's violence against women. How could we better spend out time today with the warmth and love in the room, and working towards such a great objective.”

Cllr Yasemin Brett added, “This is an evil that can only be defeated in partnership. The battle may start with the courage of one woman... but the long-lasting answers to this can only be found in solidarity, sisterhood... the law, the authorities all have their part to play. But the excellent women groups that we have in this borough are really the backbone of this issue.”

What could be considered as the highlight of the event was the beard shaving ceremony of the special male guest attendees. They were specifically asked to grow their beards for this special cause to show their respect and support for White Ribbon Day. Female attendees cheered and applauded the men and their special contribution, teasing them to make the situation more amicable and fun-filled.

One of the male guests who had his beard shaved off, Ameet Aggarwal, from the Art of Living, stated, “The issue of violence against women is not a women's right issue, but a humans' right issue. If women do not feel safe, the very fabric of society is torn apart. Both men and women have to stand up together to fight against this injustice and come up with solutions.”

David Burrowes MP concluded the event by saying, “This is an important cause... in terms of tackling violence against women.”

Enfield Saheli is small charity which runs from their own resources. Like many other charities, if they are unable to gain the correct or adequate funding, they will be frail and may end up closing. Organisations, such as the Enfield Saheli, are a ray of hope for many destitute women and help should be given to these selfless causes, in order to run to make this world a better place.