Cultural shift needed to tackle male violence, says London mayor
- Published
Protests have been held around the world to try to combat male violence
London's mayor has called for men to lead a "fundamental cultural shift" to help end violence against women.
Sadiq Khan said the problem was not just violent men, but men who engage in sexist behaviour and who stand by silently when other men harass women.
Mr Khan made the comments ahead of his campaign to mobilise male sports stars, celebrities and influencers to speak directly to men and boys.
It comes almost a year after a Met Police officer murdered Sarah Everard.
Wayne Couzens, 49, raped Ms Everard after kidnapping her in a fake arrest in Clapham, south London, on 3 March.
In the wake of her murder, police forces across England and Wales saw a "large increase" in the number of rapes and sexual offences recorded.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 61,158 rapes recorded in the year to June 2021, up 10% from the previous period (55,779), the highest recorded annual figure to date.
The figures were the first to include the weeks and months immediately after the kidnap, rape and murder of Ms Everard in March.
It suggested the rise could be due to an increase in victims' willingness to report incidents.
The conversations around women's safety came into the spotlight after Sarah Everard was murdered last March
Launching next month, the mayor's campaign will challenge the seemingly "harmless" attitudes and behaviour that can lead to intimidation, threats, and violence.
City Hall has partnered with advertising, marketing and public relations agency Ogilvy, which has offered its support pro bono to create the campaign.
It has not yet been announced who in the sporting world or which high-profile male influencers will be taking part in the campaign.
Mr Khan said: "This is not just an issue with the minority of men who are violent, but also with those men who are sexist, who continue to behave inappropriately around women, who perpetuate a toxic form of masculinity or who just stand by silently when women feel threatened or are being threatened. Men must change."
He added: "If we are going to truly fix the problem of violence against women and girls we need to see a fundamental cultural shift which puts the onus of responsibility on men.
"It must include men calling out and choosing to reject sexism and misogyny, which if left unchecked or unchallenged can lead to abuse and violence towards women and girls."
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said she welcomed the campaign and that it was "really important to engage men and boys in this conversation - it's not up to women and girls alone to tackle this issue".