Working with politicians to end violence against women and girls
Efforts to achieve gender equality must include education
The next All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on engaging men and boys to end violence against women and girls will take place on 5 July 2023 to discuss the importance of helping young people unlearn harmful gender norms, to prevent violence from occurring in the first place. We define harmful gender norms as those which perpetuate gender inequality and violence in our society.
White Ribbon UK is the Secretariat for the White Ribbon APPG that focuses on engaging men and boys to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). As the leading charity working with men and boys to stop violence before it starts, we facilitate these meetings to advocate measures that empower men to take a central role in eradicating VAWG in their communities so we may achieve gender equality.
Considering the UK’s legal obligations as a State Party to the Istanbul Convention , which the UK Government ratified last year, the Group will look at what the Government’s responsibilities are to support this work. The Convention recognises violence against women and girls as a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, and cites culture change as a key factor for disrupting these power dynamics.
Chaired by Gavin Newlands, MP, the group will focus on teaching young men and boys about gender equality, and the wider impact that this could have in society to end VAWG by transforming dominant and harmful gender norms into positive expressions of masculinity.
Leading experts will speak with MPs about the importance of education in preventing violence
We’ve invited leading voices in the ending-VAWG sector to show how working with young men and boys can create much-needed culture change to stop the development of harmful gender norms later. The guest speakers include Dr Stephen Burrell, the pre-eminent researcher on positive masculinity in the UK and a representative of the Ending Violence Against Women Coalition, which gathers frontline support services, survivors and researchers to end VAWG.
Why do we focus on men’s violence?
The reality is that most violence against women is committed by men. Through educating boys and men about harmful gender norms we can begin to change long-established attitudes, behaviours and systems around masculinity, which perpetuate gender inequality and men’s violence against women.
A 2021 Ofsted report found that amongst the girls interviewed, 92% said that sexist name calling happens ‘a lot’ or ‘sometimes’ to them or to their peers.
The sad reality is that most women and girls will experience some form of gender-based violence in their lives. A 2021 UN Women report, which defines sexual harassment as the ‘continuum of violent practices against women and girls’, found that only 3% of women aged 18-24 had not experienced sexual harassment.
What can you do to support this APPG?
You can encourage your MP to attend the White Ribbon APPG on 5 July 2023 by downloading the template letter below.
To find out who your MP is, simply enter your postcode into the search bar of this webpage: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
You should send your letter to the MP’s constituency email address.
The last White Ribbon APPG, which took place earlier this year, brought together members of the rail industry and British Transport Police to discuss the impact of men’s harmful behaviour on public transport. Her Game Too, a women’s sports activist group also attended as a key speaker to discuss the dangers of ‘lad culture’ on match day in public transport. The APPG also discussed the commitments that the rail industry made on White Ribbon Day 2022.
To find out more about the previous APPG: APPG on women's safety on public transport — White Ribbon UK