Don’t know where to start? Glamour has partnered with Jodie Campaigns, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Not Your Porn, and Professor Clare McGlynn to call for a comprehensive Image-Based Abuse Law. You can sign our petition here.
Here are 18 more campaigns against gender-based violence that need your support:
UNiTE: End digital violence against all women and girls
Refuge: Remove The Rot
Rape Crisis England & Wales: Years Too Long
Southall Black Sisters: Reform No Recourse to Public Funds
Level Up: Stop Sending Pregnant Women To Prison
Level Up: IPSO: Dignity for Dead Women
EVAW Coalition: Schools: It’s About Time Things Changed
EVAW Coalition: FA and Premier League: Which Side Are You On?
EVAW Coalition: End Online Abuse
EVAW Coalition: Rape Justice Now
Open Justice: #OpenJusticeForAll
Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS): #StepUpMigrantWomen
Sisters Uncut: Taking direct action for domestic violence services
Women’s Aid: Save Our Services
Women’s Aid: Help keep children safe
Rape Crisis England & Wales: Keep Counselling Confidential
ActionAid UK: End Violence At Work
3. Educate yourself
If he was so bad, why didn’t she leave him?
Why is she only speaking up about the abuse years later?
Why did she get drunk if she didn’t want attention?
Many of us believe myths and misconceptions about VAWG without realising it, which, perhaps inadvertently, perpetuates a culture of normalised violence. The best way to challenge these beliefs is to commit to educating ourselves on the issue, whether it’s by reading books, listening to podcasts, or paying attention to the news. If you need a head start, here are four brilliant books about gender-based violence to get you going:
4. Call out your friends
This one, in particular, goes out to all the men. Lad culture is so 1999; it wasn’t acceptable then, and it’s certainly not cool now. If you hear one of your friends crack a misogynistic joke, call them out on it. You don’t have to end your friendship over it( although if it’s a recurring problem, maybe you should); it can be as simple as “That’s not cool.” Or, as Sadiq Khan recommends, you could start with “Maaate.” Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.
If you hate face-to-face confrontation, try sending them this article.
5. Speak up
There are so many ways you can speak up about VAWG, whether it’s sharing infographics on social media or standing outside parliament with a protest sign. Your voice matters. The louder, the better.
If you are concerned that you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, free and confidential support is available from Refuge’s 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 and digital support via live chat Monday-Friday 3-10 pm via www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk.
6. Volunteer
Your time is valuable, so spend it wisely. If your workplace allows volunteering days, take them up on it. Whatever your skillset – whether it’s campaigning, social media, or customer service – there’s an opportunity for you.
7. Find community
There’s no use trying to save the world on your own – unless you fancy a prolonged period of burnout. As well as joining online communities – we love Love & Power, Everyone’s Invited, and Communia – you can attend in-person activist meetings with groups like Sisters Uncut. Find your local meeting here.
8. Divest from rape culture
Rape culture – defined by Rape Crisis England & Wales as a “society where sexual violence and abuse is normalised, played down and laughed off” – seeps into every area of our lives. It resuscitates the careers of public figures accused (and often convicted) of sexual abuse; it’s present throughout the gratuitous rape scenes in TV shows and films (which are swiftly uploaded to porn sites); and it lurks in the audience’s laughter when a comedian cracks yet another rape joke.
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