A general election is now firmly on the horizon, with polling day set for 4 July. White Ribbon UK has written to party leaders to urge them to prioritise the prevention of violence against women and girls.

The next government must focus on preventing violence from happening in the first place by addressing the root causes of men’s violence against women and girls: harmful masculine gender norms.

As the UK’s leading charity working to prevent violence against women and girls by engaging men and boys to positively change harmful cultures in their communities, at work and at home, we have set out White Ribbon UK’s core policy recommendations that we hope to see fulfilled by the next government.

White Ribbon UK’s recommendations include:

• Incorporate primary prevention of violence against women and girls within policy and strategies across government departments and online and offline, alongside responses to gender-based violence.

• Develop and implement primary prevention strategies alongside experts, across all sectors of society, online and offline, including education, health care, the criminal justice system, the transport industry, the third sector and private businesses.

• Fully and effectively implement Chapter 3 of the Istanbul Convention, which focuses on prevention measures, especially focusing on engaging men and boys through education, in workplaces and leisure and sport organisations.

• Increase government investment and statutory sources of funding for specialist organisations working on primary prevention initiatives aimed at addressing the underlying factors contributing to violence against women and girls.