Every year, on the last Wednesday of February, the International Day of Pink Shirts, known as “Pink Shirt Day,” is marked around the world as a day of action against peer violence.

It all began in 2007, when a group of activists in a Canadian province launched an initiative after a Canadian student, Charles McNeill, came to school wearing a pink shirt and was subjected to ridicule and verbal abuse by his peers. The student wore the pink shirt as a sign of support for his mother, who was battling breast cancer. The activists bought 50 pink shirts and distributed them to his classmates, who wore them in support of the boy. Soon, other students also began coming to school dressed in pink shirts, which became a symbol of the fight against peer violence in schools. Today, this day is observed worldwide on the last Wednesday of February.

Research has shown that when bystanders react in situations where violence is occurring, the violence stops within 10 seconds.

We marked this day through various activities during the school day. After watching educational films and raising awareness about the differences between rude behavior, intentional insulting or hurting of another person, and peer violence, students had the opportunity to design and decorate pink shirts. They created messages they would send to everyone involved in situations of violence, contributing to raising awareness and preventing the spread of violence by writing symbolic messages of support on their illustrated pink shirts.

During PSPE classes, the motto of the day’s activities was: “Trust and care are the opposite of violence.”

On this day, students and staff came to school wearing pink shirts or pink details as a sign of symbolic support.

Each of us can take action to prevent violence.