Plymouth City Council has become White Ribbon Accredited as part of its ongoing commitment to end violence against women and girls.
White Ribbon is a global campaign that encourages people, especially men and boys, to individually and collectively take action and change the behaviour and culture that leads to abuse and violence.
The Council set out its plans to achieve accreditation in January 2022 and has been working towards this throughout the year. As an accredited organisation, the Council will continue to work to change the cultures that lead to abuse and violence and promote gender equality.
It will ensure that the commitment to preventing male violence against women and girls is embedded within the organisation’s culture and ways of working, including HR policies, employee development and training. This includes offering bystander training to all staff, equipping them with the skills to recognise and challenge misogynistic behaviour in everyday life.
This is in addition to the partnership work that the Council has carried out with organisations, charities and businesses across Plymouth, such as the development of the Violence Against Women and Girls Commission and the Safer Streets programme.
The Safer Streets programme aims to enhance the safety of public spaces for everyone and has led to the introduction of interactive help points across the city to make people feel safer, offering a new night bus service on Saturday nights and delivering bystander training to staff working in bars, clubs and pubs.
Councillor Pat Patel, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure and Sport said: “We are proud to now be a White Ribbon Accredited organisation, demonstrating our continued commitment to ending violence against women and girls.
“This is not something that can be done by just one person or organisation, and everyone has an individual responsibility to speak up, to make a positive difference and help to change attitudes.
“As a Council, and one of the city’s largest employers, we recognise the importance of leading by example. The new accreditation ensures that our commitment to ending violence against women and girls is embedded in the organisation at every level and positively impacts the way we work. I urge other organisations and businesses in Plymouth to join us in gaining White Ribbon accreditation, as together we can make a difference and ensure our city is a safe place for all.”
White Ribbon UK encourages everyone, especially men and boys, to make the White Ribbon Promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women and girls.
Anthea Sully, Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK said, “White Ribbon Accredited organisations are able to make a real difference towards ending violence against women by promoting a culture of respect and equality, among their staff and wider communities. By raising awareness among employees, people can learn how to become allies and call out violent and abusive behaviour when they see it, at work and in the wider community. We are delighted to have Plymouth City Council as one of our White Ribbon Accredited organisations and are looking forward to working with them towards ending violence against women once and for all”.