Engaging MPs to prevent violence against women
MPs meet at the White Ribbon APPG one year after ratifying the Istanbul Convention
Ending violence against women and girls can only be achieved by engaging with all members of society, especially men and boys. This is on of the key provisions of the Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty focused on the prevention of violence against women.
White Ribbon UK regularly engages MPs and Lords through the White Ribbon All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which focuses on the prevention of violence against women and girls.
In October, we brought together experts and decisionmakers from across the political spectrum to discuss the prevention of violence against women and girls. The meeting focused on the UK’s implementation of the landmark Istanbul Convention, the most comprehensive legal framework that exists to tackle violence against women and girls.
New rule changes stand to impact the White Ribbon APPG
APPGs are informal cross-party groups that MPs and Lords can join if they are interested in a particular cause or issue. As the leading charity engaging men and boys to end violence against women and girls, White Ribbon UK is the Secretariat of this APPG.
With upcoming rule changes that limit the number of APPGs that an MP can be apart of, it is more important than ever that our MPs show their support for ending violence against women and girls. We need MPs to understand that ending violence against women and girls is a priority for us and should be a priority for them too.
We must take a 'whole society approach' to ending violence against women and girls. This means working with decisionmakers, public and private sectors, and individuals. We need to encourage positive culture change and combat restrictive and harmful gender norms that normalise and perpetuate violence against women and girls.
We need your help to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls in the UK and ensure that ending violence against women and girls is at the top of the political agenda. Consider writing to your MP to encourage them to become a member of the White Ribbon APPG.
To write your email, you can use the template that we’ve provided at the end of this post.
You should send your email to your MP’s constituency email address. You can find out who your MP is and their email address here: Find your MP - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament.
To find out more about the October meeting of the White Ribbon APPG and past meetings, visit Section 5 ‘Holding Policymakers Accountable’ on our About Us page.