GREENOCK Morton has teamed up with Inverclyde Council to help tackle the issue of gender-based violence as part of an annual awareness event. 

The club and local authority have joined forces as part of the annual ‘16 Days of Activism' and the partnership includes a banner being displayed at the football club’s Cappielow home ground.

A prime advertising space has been secured on the Main Stand displaying the message ‘Tackling violence against women and girls in Scotland…Imagine a Scotland without gender-based violence’.

The banner will be on show for the duration of the 16 Days campaign from Monday 25 November 2024 until Tuesday 10 December 2024, including at Morton’s next home match against Livingston on Saturday 7 December 2024.

It was unveiled by councillors Natasha McGuire and Lynne Quinn, Morton men’s first team manager, Dougie Imrie, and women’s captain Laura Darroch and team-mate Rowan Shepherd.

There will also be posters around the public areas of the stadium with a QR code that links straight to the 16 Days website.

The annual awareness event aims to highlight the suffering faced by women and girls around the world and promote equality.

Inverclyde Council has been a long-time supporter of the campaign and the link-up with Morton is one of the many activities taking place during the 16 days.

Information sessions, walks, a church service, and social media messages are also planned while the Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow sculpture and Lyle Fountain in Greenock will be lit purple. 

Councillor Natasha McGuire, depute leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “Sadly, gender-based violence still exists around the world and is prevalent in Scottish communities.

“This campaign focusses on gender-based violence towards women and girls.

“Nearly a quarter of adolescent girls will experience gender-based violence by the age of 20. That is heartbreaking.

“We all have family members, friends and colleagues who are women or girls.

“It is everyone’s job to make sure we, as individuals and as a community, are making gender-based violence a thing of the past.

“We should all be calling out inappropriate behaviours and feeling empowered to have those difficult conversations when we recognise something is not right.

“Throughout these 16 days we are sending a clear message that gender-based violence has no place in Inverclyde and we want to support those who have suffered.

“The stadium, through the football club and its charitable arm, Morton in the Community, is used by people of all ages across Inverclyde so this is a very welcome partnership for this year’s campaign.

“The 16 Days campaign is an opportunity for us all to hope for a better, safer future, and work collaboratively towards achieving that goal.”

Central to the campaign is that it begins on 25 November, which is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and finishes on 10 December, which is Human Rights Day.

Dale Pryde-MacDonald, general manager of Greenock Morton FC, said: “As a community-owned club it is centrally important for us to be involved in a number of campaigns such as this.

“We are very supportive of the cause and the important role it can play for female supporters attending our matches over the campaign.

“Violence in any form is unacceptable and we are very lucky in Inverclyde to have a number of service providers who can offer help and support to gender-based violence.”

Inverclyde Women’s Aid will be holding several information/awareness drop in sessions across the community on the following dates:

• 28 November – West College Scotland (Waterfront Campus, 10am-2pm)
• 3 December – Broomhill Community Centre (10am-2pm)
• 10 December – Auchmountain Resource Centre (10am-2pm)
• Empowerment Walks will be held on 27 November and 4 December. These are open to any women who want to join and are invited to meet at Inverclyde Women’s Aid Office, 41 High Street, Greenock, PA15 1NR, at 10.30am on either date. Following the walks participants are invited to the office for coffee and a chat.
• A Fire Walk will take place on 29 November 2024 for invited guests to mark the campaign and recognise the strength of the women who have come forward and accessed support from Inverclyde Women’s Aid. A promotional video for the Fire Walk is available on the council website at www.inverclyde.gov.uk/16-days
• On 8 December a service will be held at St Mary’s Church, Patrick Street, Greenock at 2pm to highlight the campaign.

Councillor Lynne Quinn, Inverclyde’s women’s champion, said: “Thanks to campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism and partnership working like we’re seeing here with Morton, we are making a positive impact and keeping this important issue at the forefront of people’s minds.

“We all have a duty to call out any form of violence or abuse and we should all be thinking about what more we can do individually and collectively to eliminate this type of unacceptable behaviour once and for all.”

Purple was worn by early women’s rights activists and today it is an important colour for campaigners.

It was used in the early 1900s during the women’s suffrage movement and nowadays is seen as a symbol of purity, hope, and loyalty.

The 16 Days campaign is also symbolised by a white ribbon and anyone who has one is encouraged to wear it to show their support.

The first ‘white ribbon campaign’ was launched in 1991 by a group of Canadian men opposing men’s violence against women, following the mass murder of 14 female students at the University of Montreal on 6 December 1989 by a gunman opposing feminism.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women originated in memory of three women and political activists – the Mirabel sisters – who were killed in the Dominican Republic on 25 November 1960 for their involvement in attempts to overthrow the fascist government at the time.

Gender-based violence refers to harmful acts that are directed towards a person based on their gender and refers to a range of actions which cause harm, suffering or indignity, including physical, sexual, or psychological violence, sexual harassment, and commercial sexual exploitation, such as prostitution, pornography, and trafficking.

Information on violence against women and girls and services that can offer support can be found at: www.inverclyde.gov.uk/16-days