Men Take Pledge to End Violence Against Women

SOUTH YARMOUTH – Men and boys on Cape Cod pledged not to commit violence against women or girls yesterday during the 6^th annual Cape Cod White Ribbon Day event in South Yarmouth.

The national campaign calls on men and boys to stand up in solidarity and be part of a positive change movement to end gender based violence.

The annual event is a collaboration between Yarmouth Police, The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office and Independence House, a Cape Cod organization which provides services for individuals affected by domestic or sexual abuse.

“Today is just a reminder of how we should live our life everyday as men, never to abuse women, to be leaders, to be role models,” said Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos.

“The message is live your life that way and be the role model especially for the younger men and boys.”

Xiarhos said domestic violence incidents are one of the toughest calls police have to respond to but that events like Cape Cod White Ribbon Day are helping with education and raising awareness.

“It works,” he said. “I’ve been a police officer for 38 years. We’ve had domestic violence every day for those 38 years but it’s better than it used to be.”

Speakers during the event at Irish Village included Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe, Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings, Lysetta Hurge-Putnam, the executive director of Independence House, and Beth Lindstrom, a republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

The White Ribbon Campaign began in 1991 after 14 female students were targeted because of their gender and killed by a gunman at the University of Montreal.