White Ribbon UK and its supporters demonstrate a clear commitment to ending male violence against women and girls
Copper is shining a social value spotlight on…White Ribbon UK, a charity dedicated to preventing men’s violence against women and girls.
For businesses in the construction industry, supporting charities such as White Ribbon UK signals to stakeholders, employees, and the wider community a clear intention to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment and a safer society.
By working with charities such as White Ribbon UK, an organisation can broaden the positive impact of construction schemes to support holistic community wellbeing.
Copper’s James Hyde spoke with White Ribbon UK’s Chief Executive Officer Lynne Elliot and Campaigns and Policy Manager Leyla Buran to find out more about the charity and their mission.
What is White Ribbon?
The White Ribbon is the globally recognised symbol to end men’s violence against women and girls. Since the inception of the White Ribbon movement 34 years ago in Canada, the White Ribbon has become an important symbol in the fight to end gender-based violence.
White Ribbon UK is focused on tackling the root causes of men’s violence against women and girls, offering training and advocacy for individuals and organisations supporting their mission.
What do those working in construction need to know?
Leyla raised that only 15% of professionals in the construction industry are women, with “the vast majority of those in admin or design roles. I think it’s really important to challenge internal and external ideas about what a construction worker is.”
Lynne gives an example of a rail company working with White Ribbon UK: “They don’t make any decisions without a woman’s voice in the room. When they first brought that policy into force, they had to constantly pull junior women into more senior meetings, because they didn’t have a woman there. They’ve now changed their recruitment practices and the gender balance of their workforce accordingly.”
Lynne raises Hinkley Point C as an example of a construction project working hard in this area:
“In 2019, EDF Energy’s apprentices at Hinkley Point C were 40% female, which was a substantial percentage compared to industry averages. They also encourage yoga, meditation, and positive mental health practices amongst their workforce.”
How can we communicate better around this subject?
Leyla said, “The role of language shouldn’t be underestimated. One of our key principles is that we talk to people about what they can do, and don’t just tell people to stop doing something, because then people are left wondering.
“We want to normalise talking about this stuff like talking about the weather – breaking stereotypes about who has those conversations.”
Facilitating conversations around masculinity and what it means is of vital importance to White Ribbon UK, who offer training courses nationwide unpacking the subject.
Lynne said, “We’ve got a new trainer and White Ribbon Ambassador, Luke, who’s done a lot of work on unpacking masculinity with groups of men in Hull. When he runs a training course, that’s often the first time that men in the group have talked about masculinity, gender stereotypes, why they do things, what they think they’re not allowed to do, and why… I would like to see organisations offer more opportunities for men to talk about these concepts.”
Why do men commit violence against women and girls?
Lynne explains that “much of it is rooted in gender stereotypes, our views about masculinity, and how difficult it is to break out of that.
“If we can build a foundation where we’re all comfortable with equality, then it will be harder for people to move up the ladder of harmful behaviour.”
How do we tackle problematic foundational behaviour?
Lynne continues, “What we’ve seen making a really big difference is the Worker Protection Act – part of the Equality Act that came into force in October 2024. That has a very clear focus on harassment regarding protected characteristics in general, but particularly regarding sexual harassment.
“The policy is detailed, clear, and specific. For the construction industry, it doesn’t just cover what happens between you and your colleagues – it covers contractors, third parties, activity on construction sites, and specifically lists a set of behaviours that are no longer acceptable – such as sexist jokes, banter, staring, catcalls, and mimicry.”
“It’s important that employers understand the consequences for them if they don’t enforce it, and for their employees if they don’t follow it.”
What internal policies need to be in place?
Lynne said: “Employers having good domestic abuse policies is really important. I was talking to an organisation recently in Newcastle, and they said their domestic abuse policy genuinely saved the life of one of their colleagues.”
A recent report from the Government Equalities Office found that only 33% of those who experienced sexual harassment in the past year had formally reported it.
Lynne said: “Employers need a good and transparent reporting system which everyone understands. We often say to organisations that they should expect and even want their reporting rates to go up initially as people begin to better understand the policy, gain confidence in using it, and believe you’ll do something about it. Eventually, rates will plateau and fall, as men in the organisation realise they can’t behave in certain ways.”
What further legislation would be helpful?
Lynne said, “We want more and better-paid paternity leave for men. There’s loads of evidence that if men are more engaged in bringing up their children and connecting with their families, there are multiple long-term health and wellbeing benefits for everyone involved.”
Leyla added, “There’s a strong strand in the new curriculum that’s just been proposed by the Department for Education about digital literacy – teaching young people how to behave online. I think adults also need that. Whether at work or in our personal lives, we’re using WhatsApp, Teams, Zoom, email constantly – and if you’ve never had a conversation about what’s appropriate and what’s not, how are you expected to learn appropriate behaviour, and how to recognise and challenge inappropriate behaviour?”
How can people and businesses get involved with White Ribbon UK?
Leyla encourages anyone to get involved if they care passionately about the subject:
“For individuals, I would encourage them to go and look at becoming White Ribbon Ambassadors. They will be part of a positive, like-minded network of people and have access to resources that we’re continually developing.
“For organisations, White Ribbon Accreditation is a good step. All of the 500 Accredited and Supporter organisations are taking real actions to make a difference to the lives of their workforce, and the communities they operate within.”
Over 8000 individuals are currently signed up as Ambassadors and Champions, while there are over 500 Accredited and Supporter organisations across the UK.
What else can people or businesses do?
Lynne says, “Individuals should challenge themselves about their own behaviour, which is really hard, but really helpful. Organisations need to focus on policies, procedures, and supporting people’s well-being.
“Employers and senior leadership teams set the standards of behaviour. The earlier you tackle the foundational stuff – the sexist jokes, the banter, the disrespect, the inequalities of recruitment – the further away you will be from a serious incident happening.”
What next steps should employers take?
“Collect some data – find out what women and men are experiencing in the workplace, what they are and aren’t comfortable with, and then plan actions accordingly.”
Get involved with White Ribbon UK
For individuals: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/ambassadors-champions
For organisations: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/organisations