• Swindon & Wiltshire Governance
• Monday November 25 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

White Ribbon Day – what it is and why businessmen should take note

White Ribbon Day and allyship – what are they and why should more men become Allies – especially in the workplace? Business Biscuit attended the first Inspire Confident Allyship event in Swindon to find out.

Today (Monday, November 25) is White Ribbon Day. While it’s not yet reached the level of awareness enjoyed by Pride Month or Poppy Day, with brands adapting their logos in solidarity, your LinkedIn feed might have a smattering of men wearing white ribbons.

So what’s it all about? White Ribbon UK is the leading charity engaging men and boys to end abuse against women and girls. It aims to prevent men’s violence before it can begin.

Arguably, it should be up there with the big national awareness days. After all, roughly half the population is female, and 70 per cent of UK women say they have experienced sexual harassment in public.

Additionally, according to a 2023 survey by the Trade Unions Congress, three in five women have experienced sexual harassment, bullying, or verbal abuse in the workplace.

But, as I learnt last week, only two per cent of the UK’s charitable giving goes to organisations that specifically support women and girls. Even donkey sanctuaries fare better.

On Friday, 120 business and civic leaders – on a roughly 50-50 male-female split – filled the Legends Bar at Swindon Town Football Club’s stadium to learn more about allyship – how to actively advance the interests of marginalised groups.

I’ll be honest, I’m shocked that a group that makes up roughly half of the UK’s population can be labelled as ‘marginalised’ – but that’s where we are.

Mind the gap – equal pay is important too

Friday’s allyship event wasn’t just about domestic violence. On Wednesday that week we had marked Equal Pay Day – the day when women effectively start working for free until the end of the year because of the gender pay gap.

It would have been on Friday but – brace yourself – it was moved up because of the widening pay gap in 2024.

That’s right – the pay gap is actually widening. If Business Biscuit did emojis, I’d have to insert an eye roll one here.

The event was organised by Wiltshire Community Foundation, whose very successful Women and Girls Fund supports local charities and community groups that challenge the inequality, abuse and discrimination experienced by women and girls. It also supports young women with educational and vocational bursaries.

In a half-day event hosted by radio presenter James Threlfall, delegates heard from some top-notch speakers, including Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, chair of Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK, and from Kate Rowland, the newly-appointed CEO of Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service.

Hetti said women wanted opportunities – in the workplace and in life – and to feel safe and respected. But they weren’t getting them.

She decried that fact that today women not just in repressive parts of the world, but also in liberal democracies like the USA, had fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers.

Reports of online misogyny had been on the rise since the beginning of the US election campaign, she said.

You know domestic abuse victims – but you might not realise it

Kate talked about the work that Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service was doing with local businesses.

“We need to educate girls to recognise misogyny and coercive behaviour from a young age,” she said. “And we need ambassador schemes in workplaces to help people recognise the signs of domestic abuse at work.

“You will know victims and survivors in your workplace – you might just not realise it,” she said.

One area of concern highlighted by Kate was the rise in Working From Home culture. “Sometimes the workplace is a woman’s safe space,” she reminded attendees.

The event also heard from some male allies. Frank Mullane, the founder of AAFDA – Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse – lost his sister and nephew to domestic violence.

He had some specific advice for business owners and managers: adopt a domestic abuse policy, train ambassadors to recognise the signs of domestic abuse, and allow women experiencing domestic abuse – including stalking – to work away from public-facing positions.

The days of recruiting in our image are over

Steve Collinson, head of the people team at Swindon-headquartered insurance firm Zurich, told delegates how he had challenged the organisation to take action on the Three Ms – maternity, menstruation, and menopause – and had added domestic abuse to the firm’s policies.

Zurich had sought the help of organisations to develop its own policy, but warned bosses: “This is not a challenge for the HR department – it needs to come from the top.”

Jeremy Blain, CEO of Swindon-based Performance Works International and co-founder of social enterprise DiversITy-talent, reinforced this message, saying “20th century thinking” at board level needed to be addressed.

He said equality was “not addressing a ‘woman problem’ – it’s a man problem,” and added: “Diversity increases group intelligence which leads to innovation and growth. The days of recruiting in our image are over.”

Swindon entrepreneur James Phipps, who approached the Community Foundation with his idea for an allyship event after being shocked at the small number of men at an International Women’s Day event back in March, said: “When I was a CEO I would have had loads of victims of domestic abuse in my company without ever realising it.

“This may be why they were off sick, or late, or less productive.

“There’s so much I didn’t know but I do now, and once we know it it’s our responsibility to do something about it.”

What can men do?

So in the spirit of the event, here are some things businessmen can do to be better allies

• Educate yourself. Domestic abuse is about so much more than domestic violence. White Ribbon UK and Refuge have some excellent resources.
• Get some policies and workplace ambassadors in place. Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service can help, and Steve at Zurich is happy to share his learnings.
• Employ women in key roles.
• Donate to / fundraise for charities supporting girls and women – don’t let the donkeys win!
• Start a conversation – whether that’s with your mates at the pub or sharing this article on your socials.
• Attend the next allyship event. We’re assured the inaugural event won’t be the last and everyone agreed it would be great to see more male bosses at the next one.

The Inspire Confident Allyship event was organised by Wiltshire Community Foundation and sponsored by chartered accountant Charlton Baker, whose support meant all ticket proceeds will go towards the Foundation’s Women and Girls Fund.