Greater Manchester has launched a new two-year plan to continue our pioneering work to tackle all forms of gender-based violence and the attitudes that allow it to occur.
The Gender-Based Violence Delivery Plan 2024-26 outlines how the city-region will continue to bring partners and organisations together to tackle and reduce gender-based violence and coincides with the start of this year’s 16 Days of Activism and White Ribbon Day. This work brings together partners across education, housing and transport, and includes public engagement campaigns as well as work with policing, probation and criminal justice partners.
The Government has pledged to cut violence against women and girls by 50% over the next decade, appointing the first ever Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips MP. Greater Manchester hopes its plan will act as a blueprint for how the Government can meet their targets through a variety of successful projects in the city-region.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said:
“Everyone in Greater Manchester deserves to be able to live well without the fear of abuse or violence. I am clear that we cannot achieve our ambitious vision for Greater Manchester without preventing and tackling the entrenched problem of gender-based violence in all its forms.
“The scale of the challenge is significant, but since we launched our 10-year Gender-Based Violence Strategy in 2021, we are seeing real progress. I’m particularly pleased that my campaign, #IsThisOK, has challenged men and boys to call out sexist and misogynistic behaviours and to consider their own conduct. The most recent phase of #IsThisOK has reached over 4.1 million views on social media and over half of men and boys we surveyed said it had made them think, feel, or want to do something differently. We all have a role to play, whether in calling out abuse or supporting those who have experienced it.
“I want to see change. While we are making a difference there is still more to do. Misogynistic attitudes and offences such as sexual violence, domestic abuse and stalking and harassment continues to happen. This has no place in Greater Manchester, and I believe that our city-region can lead the way in eradicating gender-based violence. This Delivery Plan and our wider Gender-Based Violence Strategy makes clear how we intend to do that.”
