Violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Kingston Council has taken a stand to end all male violence against women by becoming White Ribbon Accredited.

Commitments made by Kingston in its White Ribbon action plan include appointing volunteer male ambassadors as advocates to end violence against women and raising awareness of the issue within the local community. The council has also pledged to encourage partner agencies to commit to tackling male violence against women and girls, review existing policies around domestic and sexual violence and roll out bystander training.

About White Ribbon
White Ribbon UK is a leading charity engaging with men and boys to end violence against women. Their mission is for all men to fulfil the White Ribbon Promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women. They act as a catalyst, encouraging people, and especially men and boys, to individually and collectively take action and change behaviour.

White Ribbon Steering Group
We have set up a steering group, to oversee the 3 year action plan taking us up to 2027 to ensure we have an effective organisation response to tackling male violence against women and girls.  The group is focused on the following priority White Ribbon core criterias:

1. Strategic Leadership
2. Engaging Men & Boys
3. Changing Culture
4. Raising Awareness

Aims & Responsibilities 

• STRATEGY: To successfully have a strategy in place for each of the key core criterias required to meet White Ribbon accreditation.
• ACTION PLAN: To create an action plan for the strategy and adapt this accordingly throughout the White Ribbon accreditation process to maximise outcomes. The White Ribbon Accreditation Action Plan will be used to monitor progress.
• IMPLEMENTATION: To implement the action plan according to our organisational needs and to consolidate on this.
• EMBEDDING: To embed the strategy within our organisation and enable cultural change.

White Ribbon Action Plan

The White Ribbon Action Plan focuses on four themes: Strategic Leadership, Engaging Men and Boys, Changing Culture, and Raising Awareness. Strategic Leadership involves senior leader commitment, policy integration, and accountability for addressing violence against women. Engaging Men and Boys includes challenging harmful behaviors and promoting healthy relationships through education and role models. Changing Culture aims to shift attitudes normalizing violence, promoting respect, and empowering men to speak out. Raising Awareness includes public education campaigns, media engagement, and community dialogue on violence and support services.