In England and Wales, one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, two women are killed each week by a current or former partner and around 85,000 women are raped each year. These statistics should be enough to shock anyone, but, generally, although the majority of people think violence against women is disgusting and never OK, we're not doing nearly enough about it.
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, so TheLADbible has spoken to The White Ribbon Campaign UK, a charity which aims to end violence against women by getting men and boys to understand the problem and to give them practical ways to deal with it. The charity works by addressing men directly, challenging outdated gender stereotypes and getting men to speak out when they see other men being aggressive or violent towards women. They believe that men should stand up and be counted.
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And the movement has struck a chord with lots of men, over 25,000 just in the UK, in fact, with thousands more signing up worldwide. Hundreds of people who believe all women have a right to be free from violence have signed up to a Campaign Thunderclap, which sent out messages today on Twitter and Facebook to over 2 million people - inviting men to get involved. The Thunderclap took place at 11am today - check out #wrc25Nov on Twitter.
Credit: The White Ribbon Campaign UK
David Bartlett, CEO at The White Ribbon Campaign UK said: "Firstly, I think it's important to point out that this campaign isn't anti-male. It's actually working towards creating a better society for men and women. Everyone is held back by narrow gender stereotypes - for many men, it's the idea that they must be tough, they must be strong, they must be powerful. In the extreme, this can lead to some guys believing they need to assert dominance over women. We want to show that there are more positive ways of being a man.
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"Violence towards women is often viewed as a woman's problem, but that isn't true. It's everyone's issue - why wouldn't it be? White Ribbon UK promotes a more positive, healthy way to be a man. Ultimately, the question is, 'what kind of man do you want to be?' Overwhelmingly males disagree with violence towards women; and the majority of men aren't violent. Men, especially younger men, often get a bad press. It's easy to feel judged and misunderstood. So let's show what we are really like. This is something we believe the non-violent majority of men need to be much more vocal about."
Credit: The White Ribbon Campaign UK
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You don't need to go full activist to show that you don't agree with violence towards women, either. The White Ribbon Campaign UK is about doing small things, as part of your everyday life. So, if you're out with a mate and he's being a dickhead to a girl, tell him to stop. It's that simple. By reminding others that abusive behaviour towards women isn't going to be tolerated you'll be making a difference.
"If we encourage and support men who do want to see a positive change, they can go forward and spread the message, and talk to others who don't share these opinions and bit by bit create a real shift in attitudes," David added.
And, of course, if you do want to volunteer as an ambassador for the charity, that's great, too. They're looking for many more men to step up and spread the word. You can sign up here.
David also reckons that it's important for men to listen to their female friends and family when they open up about gender issues. "If a female friend comes to you and tells you about it - listen to her, it's one of the best things you can do. Don't start on about how it's tough for men too - you can talk about that some other time! Most men reading this will know someone who has been through an abusive relationship, whether that's coercive behaviour, sexual abuse or violence.
"We need to stop thinking of men and women as two very separate things and instead start thinking of everyone as human - these are our friends, girlfriends, wives, sisters, daughters, mothers. We all need to feel safe - let's create that space together."
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If you want to know more, or want to get involved, go to www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk
Featured image credit: The White Ribbon Campaign UK
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