4 December 2024
Violence against women and girls is more than just a headline, more than just a statistic, and more than just a trend. It is an epidemic that has been affecting millions globally.
According to UN Women UK, every 10 Minutes a woman is killed. That is an average of 144 women a day. Globally, an estimated 736 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Girls are at particular risk of violence – 1 in 4 adolescent girls are abused by their partners. Though these figures are understandably frightening, there are actionable steps that we can all take – especially men and boys – to support women to feel safe.
On International Men’s Day (19th November), Tabitha Morton, the CEO of UN Women UK, wrote an opinion piece for The Big Issue about how men must step up in combating violence against women and girls. Her article gives very actionable things that we can all do. Go and check out the full article here.
She carefully explains the importance of being an active bystander. As a bystander (someone who might witness harassment firsthand or who is subsequently informed of the incident), we can move from a passive state to an active state without putting our own personal safety at risk by adopting UN Women’s ‘stop, support, report’ mindset. It is worth highlighting the aspect of personal safety, especially when communicating with young people about becoming active bystanders.Â
We all have a duty, from young people to youth work practitioners, to make sure that we stand up against gender-based violence. We agree wholeheartedly with the UN Women’s campaign that states that there is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls. As a sector, we need to continue to work together to ensure gender equity.
It is more important than ever to educate ourselves and others about the importance of active bystander intervention as it is a crucial part of the solution. When we intervene, we signal to the perpetrator that their behaviour is unacceptable.
At Oxfordshire Youth, we remain passionate about standing against gender-based violence. This is why we set up our Young Women and Girls Project.
This supports young women aged 11-25 who are living or are educated in Banbury or Bicester. We are still accepting referrals, so please email us at ywagcherwell.referrals@oxfordshireyouth.org to kickstart the process, express an interest, or find out more.
We understand that the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence can be triggering for so many reasons. If you need any support or help, please reach out to some of these incredible local and national organisations: