Call out violence against women, rugby team urges

A night walk was held in Penzance to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women and girls

The Cornish Pirates have launched a campaign on social media to encourage people to "stand up" when they see domestic violence.

The club released a video featuring pledges from players to "call out" violence against women and girls.

Neil Smith, community coach at Cornish Pirates, said they aimed to "show our support for women and girls and to end domestic violence, not just in Cornwall, but globally".

"The boys standing up and putting that message across hopefully will encourage more people to stand up when they see violence or hear derogatory comments towards women and girls," he said.

The video comes after a night walk was held in Penzance earlier this week to raise awareness of the problem of violence against women and girls.

A vigil was also held at St Mary's Church in the town, remembering women who had lost their lives to violence over the past year.

Mr Smith said: "It was a very moving ceremony and a cause the Cornish Pirates take very seriously."