White Ribbon Day
Ending violence against women and girls starts when we #ChangeTheStory. Culture change doesn’t happen overnight, but we can end men’s violence against women and girls in our lifetimes.
This year, White Ribbon are encouraging individuals and organisations to make consistent choices and actions to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls, so that they may live their lives free from the fear of violence.
Violence experienced by women and girls takes many forms. Some behaviours and words may seem ‘harmless’ but normalising them ignores the short- and long-term effects on women and can lead to more extreme violence.
Being allies with women every day shouldn’t be underestimated — even the smallest actions can affect big change.
How you can #ChangeTheStory?
White Ribbon are calling on all organisations and individuals to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls. This starts with challenging the seemingly ‘harmless’ attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate violence for women and girls
Violence against women and girls is not a women’s issue:
- 1 in 4 girls in mixed-sex schools have had experiences of unwanted sexual touching in school.
- 6 in 10 women have felt harassed in the gym by a man.
- 30% of women have experienced workplace harassment, with 81% reporting that they had
- been harassed by a man/men.
- 1.7 million women experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2022.
However, it’s often portrayed as one.
This is due to the way women have long been responsible for navigating threats to their own safety. The first step to take to #ChangeTheStory is to understand that women and girls live with a fear of violence – and a threat of this fear of violence — that men do not experience in the same way.
#ChangeTheStory is about reversing this narrative: #AllMenCan take an active role in stopping violence before it starts by recognising and calling out attitudes and behaviours that are harmful and constitute as violence, and lead to more extreme cases of violence.
These statistics convey the widespread nature of men’s violence against women in our society. This is a sad reality — and one we can change.
Do you know what violence looks like?
Violence against women and girls can happen anywhere and takes many forms – from sexist jokes online to harassing behaviours on the train. Some behaviours may be dismissed as ‘small’ or ‘low-level’ acts: sharing sexist ‘jokes’ at work or in group chats; catcalling women in the street; or harassing women on a night out. These all contribute towards creating a culture of fear and misogyny that encourages violence and abuse against women. In spaces where these behaviours are normalised, it can lead to more extreme cases of violence.
Find out more about what you can do to #ChangeTheStory here.
About White Ribbon
White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to end violence against women and girls.Their mission is to prevent violence against women and girls by addressing its root causes. They work with men and boys to change long-established, and harmful, attitudes, systems and behaviours around masculinity that perpetuate inequality and violence.
Their work is preventative; they want to stop violence before it starts.
