We are the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls.
about us
We prevent violence against women and girls by addressing the root causes of men’s violence against women: harmful attitudes, behaviours and systems around rigid gender norms and harmful expressions of masculinity that perpetuate gender inequality and gender-based violence.
The White Ribbon
The White Ribbon is the globally recognised symbol to end men’s violence against women and girls. Since the inception of the White Ribbon movement 35 years ago in Canada, the White Ribbon has become an important symbol in the fight to end gender-based violence.
Allyship is a central message of the White Ribbon; it represents men taking responsibility to challenge this issue and being allies, every day, to stop violence against women and girls before it starts.
How do we do this?
Our approach
Our work is preventative. We focus on supporting individuals and organisations to intervene before harmful attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls can take place. This work is called primary prevention; we want to stop violence from happening in the first place.
Our work is intersectional. White Ribbon UK centre’s women’s experiences across all its work. We remain accountable to all women and girls, and our work to develop allyship in men and boys is led by an understanding that women have different experiences of abuse and violence based on their identities. Adopting an intersectional understanding to tackle harmful gender norms also challenges other forms of discrimination.
Our work is collaborative and focused on positive culture change. Not all men are violent, but all men have a role to play in preventing and, ultimately, ending violence against women and girls. Through our work, we encourage men to learn about the gender norms and traits they embody and how these impact women, and understand the difference they can make by being allies.
White Ribbon UK Trustees
White Ribbon UK Chief Executive Anthea Sully with Peter Lassey, Chair of Trustees
