It’s good to see that this year even schoolkid footballers are taking place in the day against sexual assault. You will remember from around this time last year, the Rugby League encouraged its players to wear a purple armband during one days’ matches as a sign of their opposition to sexual assault against women. This followed the notorious Bulldogs case against a young woman in Coffs Harbour. This year the initiative is being broadened to include a variety of teams. See the following email from Sydney’s Leichhardt Council inviting local teams to take part in the intiative this coming weekend:
Leichhardt Council has recently been approached by Football Fans Against Sexual Assault (FFASA) to support the Weekend of Champions: Purple Armband Campaign.
Leichhardt Council invites your teams to participate in Leichhardt Council’s Weekend of Champions: Purple Armband Campaign during the weekend of 23-24 July 2005.
Leichhardt Council hosts this event in support of on-line Australia-wide campaign Football Fans Against Sexual Assault.
The Weekend of Champions: Purple Armband Campaign aims to see all levels of sport play a role in challenging the attitudes and behaviours that contribute to sexual assault and gender violence in sport and the broader community.
In football, armbands are a symbol of grief and respect, while purple is the colour for women’s rights. By donning a purple armband, the wearer symbolically:
• States their respect for women;
• Acknowledges the grief of sexual assault victim/survivors; and
• Commits to a stand against gender violence.
Last year, over 100 sporting teams Australia-wide donned the FFASA campaign symbol of purple armbands in on-field stances against sexual assault and gender violence. These teams included the Brisbane Broncos, Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, St George Dragons and New Zealand Warriors, and grassroots teams spanning AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Union and Netball.
Sexual assault and gender violence is an issue that affects more people than we realise. By wearing the purple armbands, your teams will play an important leadership role on this society-wide problem.
Council will sponsor the event by providing purple ribbons. All that is asked of your clubs, is that on the weekend of July 23-24, the games are conducted while players are wearing the purple armbands.
Please let me know by return email if you will be supporting this event, and how many players you will require armbands for. Please feel free to invite your opposition to support the event also. We will provide ribbons for them if you wish.
Council will be promoting the campaign in the local media and we welcome pre match or action photographs of your teams wearing the purple arm bands. Additionally, all participating clubs will be noted on the FFASA website (www.ffasa.org)
What a great campaign, thank you.
On an angrier note, I’ve just discovered that the brothers convicted of gang rape against three Sydney women three years ago have just won their appeal. Each of the brothers have had their sentence reduced, of which the ringleader’s has decreased from a maximum of 55 years to 28 years. There are no excuses. This is a classic case and cold reminder of how little such a deplorable crime is taken seriously.
I congratulate the FFASA on thier campaign. My only concern however is that while being great role models, the wearing of a pruple armband for one game is not addressing the culture of many of the football codes. More education is needed to change embedded attitudes that some men have towards women.