Men & women’s organisations launch principles for work with men and boys to end VAWG

Coalition of men & women’s organisations launch ‘Building Bridges’: Principles for work with men and boys to end violence against women and girls

Today (6th July 2026), the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) and Beyond Equality, alongside a growing coalition of 30 organisations, launch Building Bridges: Principles for work with men and boys to end violence against women and girls.

The principles cut through divisive online “culture wars” to show that dismantling violence against women and girls (VAWG) goes hand-in-hand with improving the lives, mental health, and wellbeing of men and boys. They are supported by organisations including Movember, Refuge, The Dad Shift, Women’s Aid, Equimondo, Hope Not Hate, Rape Crisis and UN Women. A practical guide on using these principles is to follow.

VAWG remains widespread across society, driven by structural inequalities and rigid expectations. The Building Bridges guide highlights how these same restrictive norms box men and boys into harmful behaviors, while leaving young people vulnerable to radicalisation in online spaces like the “manosphere”.

Rather than shaming men or using alienating terms, the framework focuses on shared human values: freedom from harm, mutual care, and equal respect. It provides a foundation for collaboration and mutual benefit.

These principles celebrate the deep and complex work involved in effective interventions with men and boys. They also help to ensure that such work avoids unhelpful and sometimes dangerous narratives promoted by those who, even inadvertently, minimise or sideline the harm women and girls and marginalised groups are subjected to and/or fail to recognise the systemic nature of gender and intersecting inequalities.

The Six Core Principles for Practice

The framework is centred on six foundational principles:

1. Gender transformative and feminist – restrictive gender norms harm everybody, while feminism and gender equality benefits us all.
2. Intersectional – gender inequality is compounded by other structural oppressions and forms of discrimination. These inequalities have a significant impact on people’s lives and should not be flattened in work focused on any one gender. 
3. Systemic – it is essential that our work recognises the systemic and structural nature of gender and intersecting inequalities and calls for systems-change. 
4. Relational, connected and accountable – it is essential to create space for difficult conversations and difference, and recognise that our lived realities and the issues we face are intertwined. 
5. Hopeful – a different world is possible and we are all agents of change in the work of creating that future. 
6. Inclusive – our work must honour our universal human right to safety and dignity.

Janaya Walker Interim Director of End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:

“Gender equality is good for everyone, and we cannot do the work of ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) alone – it relies on all of us, including men and boys as agents of change. There is brilliant work being carried out across the country to prevent VAWG, and we hope the principles speak to our common ground and shared ambitions, whilst taking care to avoid harmful and misguided narratives. We are pleased to have the support of a formidable collection of frontline VAWG organisations, expert facilitators and campaigners behind them. All of our struggles are interconnected, and this guide is an important step in bridging a gap in the fight to end VAWG.”

Daniel Guinness, Managing Director of Beyond Equality, said:

“Men need to play their part in ending men’s violence. Organisations working with men and boys in education, sport, culture, community, health and wellbeing can make significant impact with the right approaches. Despite polarising rhetoric in some places, we know there is already buy in among many of the organisations doing incredible work with men and boys. These  principles and forthcoming guide provide organisations and individuals with a bridge to the VAWG sector and practical skills. These principles are of mutual benefit across the whole of society.” 

The principles will be accompanied by a practical guide aimed at improving messaging and supporting organisations to implement the principles in practice. Organisations are encouraged to sign up to the principles here.

See the full list of organisations signed up to the principles here

ENDS