The 6th Pomeranian White Ribbon Week is behind us. On December 2, 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdańsk hosted a conference entitled “White Ribbon – Together Against Violence,” which brought together experts, practitioners, and students to discuss the topic of counteracting aggression. The event was part of an international campaign in which men show their solidarity and oppose violence against women.
Photo: Rafał Mielczarek
The White Ribbon Campaign is the world’s largest anti-violence initiative aimed at men, launched in Canada in 1991 after the tragic events in Montreal, when an attack motivated by hatred towards women took place at the local technical university. The perpetrator shot 14 female students and injured 13 others, claiming that women had “taken his place” at the university, preventing him from completing his technical studies.
This year’s sixth edition in Pomerania was held under the honorary patronage of Pomeranian Governor Beata Rutkiewicz and Pomeranian Province Marshal Mieczysław Struk. The event was organized by the Rising Sun Foundation in cooperation with the Center for Sustainable Development of the University of Gdańsk (CZRUG), the Center for Student and Doctoral Activity (CASiD), the Specialist Facilities Complex in Gdynia, the Polish Motor Association, the “Before It’s Too Late” Association, and the city of Sopot.
The conference participants were welcomed by Mariusz Ruszkowski, President of the Board of the Rising Sun Foundation, Dr. Dominik Bień, Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Kacper Wiśniewski, Head of the Student and Doctoral Student Support Office.
Bartosz Duraj, Coordinator of the CZRUG Social Environment Cooperation Program, pointed out that the “White Ribbon” campaign is important because it reminds us that combating violence against women is not only a “women’s issue,” but the responsibility of society as a whole, especially men. This initiative helps to make society aware that respect, equality, and safety are values that must be consciously and actively pursued.
The substantive part of the conference was opened by Dr. Marcin Szulc, professor at the University of Gdańsk from the Department of Penitentiary Psychology and Social Rehabilitation. In his speech entitled “The motives of perpetrators of attacks with weapons in schools. What warning signs should we look out for,” Prof. Szulc focused on the psychological mechanisms leading to the escalation of violence among young people.
The second part of the meeting took the form of a workshop. The panel entitled “Violence as an expression of deprivation – how deficits lead to violence” was led by a team of experts from the Specialist Facilities Complex in Gdynia, presenting an interdisciplinary approach to the problem:
- Katarzyna Niwińska – educator, head of the Specialist Support Center for Victims of Domestic Violence in Gdynia, who has been working in Gdynia for over 20 years to help people in crisis;
- Izabela Kaczmarek – a psychologist by education, previously a paramedic for many years, associated with the Crisis Intervention Center in Gdynia for two years;
- Tymoteusz Drzeżdżon – a psychologist and psychotherapist in training, working on a daily basis with people involved in violence and young people on the autism spectrum.
As the organizers emphasize, the 6th Pomeranian White Ribbon Week, which ended on December 7, became not only a moment for reflection, but also a space for taking concrete action. The conference at the University of Gdańsk showed that effective counteraction against violence requires close cooperation between the academic community, non-governmental organizations, and specialists working on the front lines of support.