Southampton Partners Unite To Tackle Violence Against Women & Girls
Saints Foundation and Southampton Football Club are bringing together partners across the city for a major White Ribbon Day campaign to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Southampton – a city facing some of the most challenging conditions for women and girls in the UK.
The campaign centres on a powerful message: violence doesn’t start with physical acts, it starts with words, attitudes and disrespect.
A new film created in partnership with Yellow Door features women and girls from across Southampton sharing their experiences and calling for change. It also includes Southampton FC’s Men’s First Team players Elias Jelert, Gavin Bazunu and Joe Aribo, who add their voices in support of women and girls, demonstrating meaningful allyship from the club and on behalf of their teammates.
Nationally, violence against women and girls has reached epidemic levels. In the UK, 1 in 12 women and girls are victims of violence every year, with over 3,000 offences reported each day across England and Wales.
Lucy Horne, Head of Impact and Strategy at Southampton Saints Foundation, said: “Southampton is a city of great strengths, and somewhere many of us call home, but it faces challenges.
“One of our city’s key challenges is the unacceptably high levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG). If we all come together, we can stop this harm from continuing.
“Alongside our partners, Saints Foundation is committed to working with young people and adults to end gender-based violence in Southampton, through taking a proactive, preventative approach that helps tackle the underlying causes.”
The White Ribbon Day campaign focuses on prevention and education, working with young people across Southampton to promote positive masculinity and challenge attitudes that lead to violence against women and girls.
Saints Foundation collaborates with partners in the city to challenge discriminatory behaviour towards women and girls, while also developing leadership potential and creating opportunities to level the playing field.
Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, Deputy CEO of the College of Policing and NPCC lead for violence against women and girls, said: “We are absolutely determined to turn the tide on violence and abuse faced by women and girls and will continue to work tirelessly to do better for victims.
“Violence against women and girls is a national emergency. We need to move forward as a society to make change and no longer accept VAWG as inevitable.”
Image: Southampton FC
