According to Destroy the Joint, a Facebook page “for people who are sick of the sexism dished out to women in Australia, whether they be our first female Prime Minister or any other woman”, 68 women had lost their lives so far this year because of violence inflicted upon them, in the majority of cases by current or former partners.

That statistic should shock us all, especially given the White Ribbon Day website says on average one woman a week is killed as a result of domestic or family violence. With 52 weeks in a year, it’s a national shame the average has been exceeded well before the year is out.

So are the other figures gathered by White Ribbon Day organisers.

One in three women have had physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated on them by someone they know.

One in five women over 18 have been stalked in their lifetime.

One in four Australian children is exposed to domestic violence.

Take the time absorb those figures. One third of all women subjected to violence. One quarter of all children exposed to domestic violence.

It is just not right.

The purpose of White Ribbon Day and the awareness raising programs that follow is to get that message out – to get men to call out their mates when they disrespect, threaten violence against or otherwise mistreat women.

The idea is make it clear that the self-confessed “locker room talk” made infamous by Donald Trump is not just unacceptable, it’s inexcusable.

In the US, the outrage over Trump’s comments was almost eclipsed by the number of people excusing or defending them. Clearly, we have a long way to go in the quest to defeat violence against women.

But as the old Chinese proverb goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For many of the young men making the White Ribbon pledge today, that single step will be taken. Hopefully, most of them will be thinking about what they are pledging and turn that important undertaking into a principle to live by.