Speaking up for women and girls this White Ribbon Day

Sexist jokes, catcalling, staring, and inappropriate comments might seem like “just words” or “harmless fun”, but for many people, they’re not. These behaviours can make women and girls feel unsafe, and when ignored, they can lead to more serious harm.

The Joint Herefordshire and Worcestershire White Ribbon Conference 2025 marks its fifth year on 21 November, running online via MS Teams from 9:30am to 2:45pm.

The event is open to anyone with a personal or professional interest in ending violence against women and girls.

Attendees can expect thought-provoking sessions from leading experts, survivor-led initiatives and community-driven campaigns focused on prevention, accountability and change.

There will also be contributions from:

• the DRIVE programme (tackling high-harm perpetrators)
• youth-focused prevention work, unhealthy relationships and bystander training and
• support will be on hand to answer any questions, as well as to offer emotional support

Attendees can join for all or some of the sessions to suit their interests. 

Registration is now open via Eventbrite.

The full programme for the day and speakers’ details are available on the registration page. The event is free to attend.

Councillor Satinder Bell, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Worcestershire County Council, said: “We’re delighted to be taking a leading role alongside our colleagues from Herefordshire Council and shining a spotlight on this important subject.

This year’s theme, “We Speak Up,” is a powerful reminder that silence allows harmful behaviours to persist. We want to encourage more men to speak up and use their voices to call out sexism and challenge inappropriate behaviour. We all want to build a culture where women and girls feel safe, equal and respected.”

Councillor Carole Gandy, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing at Herefordshire Council, added: “We are proud to host this White Ribbon Day conference with our colleagues from Worcestershire County Council. Our focus will be on creating a world where everyone is safe, equal and respected. A place where sexist jokes, catcalling, staring and inappropriate comments are not tolerated but are recognised for their potential to put women and girls at risk and, as such, are called out. At the end of the day, we want everyone to feel more empowered to speak out against violence against women and girls.”

The International White Ribbon Day falls on Tuesday, 25 November. It marks the start of the international 16 Days of Action against Gender-Based Violence, ending on 10 December (Human Rights Day).

For more about the international campaign, visit the White Ribbon webpages.