A statement from WOW Founder & Director Jude Kelly

Torrents of tears are shed by women daily for other women and girls brutally maimed and murdered by men, and thousands of words are written in horror, anger and grief - also almost always by women.

But nothing seems to change. Women all over the world remain vulnerable as societies still lionise the male of the species. Abusive behaviour goes unchecked and excuses are made for attitudes that directly feed the dangerous acceptance that women are there to look after and service men in whatever way they want.

Men. We love them, we give birth to them, we raise them, we live with them. We have Dads. But where is their protest, their uprising in outrage for the violence they do? Are they in shock as we are, are they organising online and leading calls for radical change?

It doesn’t seem like it. Maybe they feel unfairly blamed for actions that don’t relate to their way of being. But that passivity serves to maintain the threat of violence and humiliation that women live with daily.

We need to start reversing that tide.

I’d like each women reading this to turn to three men in their lives and ask them directly how much they think about this. What they think about it. And what action they think they could take.

Maybe they’ll insist they’re not misogynists, harassers, bullies. Maybe they’re right.

George Floyd was killed as a racist act. Sarah Everard was killed as an act of misogyny. We must now face the truth about how our societies have been maintained, and how we’ve been groomed within them. Men everywhere must ask themselves if this is a world that is ok for the 50% of the people who aren’t men.

We need men publicly declaring that with violence against women, enough is enough.

On Sunday 21 March, WOW will present an urgent discussion Another Pandemic - Male Violence Against Women. Book your free ticket to join here.