Purple Ribbon campaign officially launched

The provincial government has kicked off its 5th annual Purple Ribbon campaign at Confederation Building in St. John's.

The campaign is designed to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women, with the aim of changing public attitudes and behaviours to help prevent violent acts. 

Judy Manning, the minister responsible for the status of women, officially launched this year's campaign. She highlighted how physical and emotional violence has many repercussions.

"All forms of violence against women are damaging," she said.

"Not simply limited to the physical marks that we can all see, like broken bones or bruises."

Manning also brought up the emotional, psychological, sexual, and psychiatric effects of violence, which can lead to depression, insomnia, and substance abuse problems.

Phase two

The Violence Prevention Initiative, a previous government program aimed at addressing violence issues, finished in 2012.

Manning said the province is in the final stages of rolling out the second phase of the program. After speaking with stakeholders on Tuesday, Manning is optimistic about the next part of the initiative.

"I'm certain it's going to be very well received," she said.

"It's something that we're quite proud of, and certainly I think that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will be well served by it."

There are no specifics yet on what the second phase will be, but Manning said the goal of the program remains the same as always.

"Ultimately, we need to, as a community, establish that violence in any form is not acceptable," she said.

"I think when we get to that level of widespread acceptance, there will be less of a stigma, [and] people will be more inclined to report incidents of violence."