Frome Town Council is proud to be a White Ribbon UK accredited organisation. White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to end male violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Why it’s important
- 99.3% of women experience sexual harrassment or sexual violence at some point in their lives (Rape Crisis)
- A woman is killed by a man the equivalent of every three days in the UK (Femicide Census)
- 9 out of 10 female victims of homicide are killed by a man (GOV.UK)
- Violence against women and girls accounts for a fifth of reported crime in the UK – with much thought to go unreported (Crime Survey for England and Wales)
- Almost a third (29%) of 16–18 year old girls say they have experienced unwanted sexual touching at school (YouGov)
The attitudes, behaviours and systems that reinforce ideas of gender inequality and gender-based violence underpin serious crimes; they’re also the same attitudes behind casual sexism, catcalling or more ‘minor’ actions.
The problem is inarguable, the statistics are sobering. White Ribbon believes that men and boys have a huge positive role to play, by challenging those stereotypes and attitudes – and using their voices and their networks to influence the conversation for the better.
If you need support:
We’ve produced a ‘Safer Frome for Women and Girls’ leaflet with information about local support services. There is also some useful information in our FIND directory.
National helplines:
- Rape Crisis – 0808 500 2222
- National Domestic Abuse helpline – 0808 2000 247
- Galop – LGBTQ+ helpline – 0800 999 5428
- Men’s Advice Line – 0808 801 0327
Our White Ribbon group
“There’s a rather aggressive phrase often used about changing behaviour – and to start a fight! – ‘calling someone out’. What we’re doing is the exact opposite – we want to ‘call everyone IN’! Join us, take the White Ribbon pledge to ‘never use, excuse or stay silent about men’s violence against women’ and you really will make a difference.”
Our accreditation is backed by a strategic three-year action plan, running from November 2025 to November 2028, laying out the actions we will take and how we will measure our success. We’ve created a working group made up of councillors, staff and members of the local community and are planning activities focusing on White Ribbon’s four strategic priorities – get in touch if you’d like to get involved.
- Strategic leadership
- Engaging men and boys
- Changing Culture
- Raising Awareness
What we’ve done so far
We marked the start of our three-year accreditation in November 2025 with white ribbons on our Christmas tree
Read about our activities for International Women’s Day 2026, including a screening of Emma Rice Company’s brilliant production of Blue Beard, ‘lightning talks’ and a 32-foot American school bus named Susie…
