White Ribbon UK hosted a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference, sponsored by imabi, that focused on how we can prevent men’s violence against women in the night-time economy.

We were delighted to welcome Alex Davies-Jones MP the Minister of Violence Against Women and Girls and Victims, as our Key note speaker, and the panel was chaired by White Ribbon UK’s Chief Executive, Anthea Sully in the chair and joined by,  Mark Balaam, CEO and Founder of imabi, Saskia Garner, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and Eren Bessim, Training and Development Manager at Safer Business Network. All speakers emphasised the experiences women face in the night-time economy, that the burden of keeping safe should not fall on women and the need for men to show allyship.

Alex Davies-Jones MP the Minister of Violence Against Women and Girls emphasised the importance of everyone being able to enjoy a night out without women left feeling threatened or unsafe, she reiterated the vital role that Government plays in supporting individuals and organisations to prevent men’s violence against women and girls through leadership.

The lively session, with a packed audience, including people MPs, councillors, transport providers and organisations that provide frontline support highlighted how important it is that we work in partnership to prevent attitudes and behaviours that normalise violence men's against women and girls.

Anthea Sully, stressed the importance of Primary Prevention, “To end harmful attitudes and behaviours that lead to men’s violence against women in the nighttime economy, we need to look at what men can do to make a positive difference. By coming together to promote the Primary Prevention of violence against women and girls we highlight just how much support and will there is to make a difference and stop harm from happening in the first place to women and girls. It also sends a very clear message to Government about the need to invest in this work.”

Mark Baalam, Founder of imabi said "The event has made it clear on both the challenges we face and the strides we are making in tackling violence against women and girls. It’s crucial that we continue to work together, sharing knowledge and resources to prevent harm and provide support when it’s needed most. Technology such as imabi can help play a vital role in making information and assistance more accessible, ensuring that help is available when it’s needed and empowering communities to take action before incidents occur. Collaborative efforts are essential in creating safer environments for everyone and working with the likes of White Ribbon who are doing such a fantastic job within the sphere of violence against women and girls is a cornerstone of our approach, which is very much centred on community and working with others."

Earlier in September White Ribbon UK welcomed the Home Secretary’s plan to halve violence against women and girls. This commitment can only be achieved with a focus on preventing violence before it starts, requiring culture change, promoting equality and challenging gender stereotypes to transform the harmful male cultures that lead to violence.

Work that engages with men and boys is chronically underfunded, proper investment is urgently needed with statutory sources of funding made available for specialist organisations working on Primary Prevention initiatives. We will continue to campaign for investment in Primary Prevention work to engage men and boys using a whole society approach.

How you can make a difference

You can make a difference and ensure your MP is prioritising the Primary Prevention of men’s violence against women by writing to your MP.

You can find who your MP is here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Download a pack with advice on how you can talk to your MP about prioritising Primary Prevention here.

How organisations can make a difference

Organisations can make a difference by ensuring they are focused on preventing harmful attitudes and behaviours that lead to abuse and harassment in the workplace.

White Ribbon UK partners with organisations to enable them to do this through White Ribbon Accreditation, with White Ribbon Supporter Organisations and in Training. Find out more here.