White Ribbon Day 2023

White Ribbon Day (WRD) is on Saturday 25 November. A day which also marks the start of the 16 days of activism for ending gender-based violence.

WRD is promoted by White Ribbon, the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to end violence against women and girls. Everyday around the world, approximately 100 women die because of their gender. Society puts the onus on women to change their behaviours to avoid being assaulted, raped or murdered. The focus needs to shift to create a change in men’s behaviour towards women to stop these crimes.

In Bracknell Forest, there were 2,655 domestic abuse related incidents recorded by the police in 2022 to 2023. This is an average of 7 reports a day. 

Vigil

We are partnering with local charities Berkshire Women’s Aid and Kaleidoscopic UK to hold a vigil. The event aims to raise awareness of WRD and the 16 days of activism against women and girls.

The vigil will also be an opportunity to reflect and remember those that have been lost due to gender-based violence, with a chance to write messages of hope.

There will be several speakers throughout the evening, including the Mayor of Bracknell Forest and the leader of the council.

Vigil details

Date: Saturday 9 December

Time: 7pm to 8pm

Location: Bond Square, The Lexicon

Everyone is welcome.

Mayors’ charity

Cllr Naheed Ejaz, the Mayor of Bracknell Forest, has chosen Berkshire Women’s Aid (BWA) as the charity she will support for her mayoral year. BWA will receive any charity money donated between May 2023 and May 2024. 

Cllr Ejaz said:

“Berkshire Women’s Aid plays an imperative role in supporting women and children who are victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Each year it needs to raise over £1 million to continue to deliver its services. This is a huge task, but one I know the borough of Bracknell Forest can help them with.

“I hope that by raising money and awareness, it will help victims to know there is non-judgemental support out there for them, and they can contact BWA when they feel ready to talk.”

BWA supports all domestic abuse victims, regardless of sex, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability.   

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you can’t speak and are calling on a mobile press 55 to have your call transferred to the police. Find out how to call the police when you can’t speak.

#ChangeTheStory

This year, the theme for WRD is #ChangeTheStory. Individuals and organisations are being asked to make consistent choices and actions to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls, so they may live their lives free from the fear of violence.

Violence against women and girls is not a women’s issue:

  • 1 in 4 girls in mixed-sex schools have had experience of unwanted sexual touching in school
  • 6 in 10 women have felt harassed in the gym by a man
  • 1.7 million women experienced domestic abuse between March 2021 and March 2022

Despite these statistics, it is often portrayed as a women’s issue. The first step to #ChangeTheStory is to understand that women and girls live with a fear of violence that men do not experience in the same way.

#ChangeTheStory is about reversing this narrative. #AllMenCan take an active role in stopping violence before it starts, by recognising and calling out attitudes and behaviours that are harmful and could lead to more extreme cases of violence.

The statistics convey the widespread nature of men’s violence against women in our society. This is a sad reality, and one we can, and must, change.

Saturday 25 November also marks the first day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a campaign launched by Unite. This is a 16-day initiative that ends on Sunday 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.

This campaign will call on individuals to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls. You can join the global movement with the #NoExcuse hashtag calling for action to prevent violence against women and girls.

Violence against women and girls

Violence against women and girls can occur anywhere and come in various forms. Examples include sexist jokes online and harassment on the train. Certain actions, such as telling sexist 'jokes' at work or in group chats, catcalling, or harassing women on a night out, may be seen as insignificant.

These all contribute towards creating a culture of fear and misogyny that encourages violence and abuse against women.

Across the UK, many people wear a white ribbon to oppose violence towards women. The ribbon symbolises their promise to never commit, excuse, or stay silent about male violence against women. To show our support, Time Square will be lit in white on Saturday evening.

For more information and help, visit:

Town & Country

View Town & Country (PDF, 9.17MB)

Useful links