College backs the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign

This international campaign challenges violence against women and girls, and it runs every year, from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, until Sunday, December 10, Human Rights Day.

To mark the start of the initiative, the college, West Lothian Council and other organisations from across West Lothian took part in an awareness march on Friday, November 24, with the theme 'Imagine a West Lothian without Gender Based Violence’.

And throughout the 16 Days, the college also took part in a number of important activities on campus, including highlighting the White Ribbon campaign, an art exhibition with artwork created by current and former art students, and officers from Police Scotland giving talks to students regarding Bystander Intervention Training & Healthy Relationships.

The college was also lit up in purple and green in support of the campaign.

Lorna Jenkins, Student Support Manager at West Lothian College, said: “By taking part in the 16 Days campaign, we worked closely with West Lothian Council to strengthen local action to prevent and tackle gender-based violence.

"We aimed to raise awareness of this issue amongst staff and students, providing information, allowing for reflection on this issue and encouraging individuals to think about what they can do to challenge and change this behaviour.”