NEW: How to engage men in ending VAWG

Today (14th July 2025), the End Violence Against Women Coalition has published a report setting out the evidence base for how best to engage men and boys in ending violence against women and girls.

Produced with leading academics Professor Nicole Westmarland and Dr Stephen Burrell, New paths to prevention: engaging more boys and men in ending violence against women explores how society can engage men as agents of change in ending violence against women and girls (VAWG); making 10 key recommendations to government.

VAWG is a pervasive violation of women’s fundamental human rights and one of the most urgent problems facing society today. A VAWG offence is reported to the police every two minutes in England and Wales, and many more are never reported at all.

As we increasingly live our lives online, violence against women and girls is being perpetrated in new ways. But what remains constant is that the overwhelming majority is perpetrated by men.

Regression in young men’s attitudes

The rapid and unfettered spread of extreme misogyny online highlights the urgency in engaging men and boys in gender equality and addressing the polarisation of young men and women in the digital age.

We are seeing a regression in young people’s attitudes – bucking the trend of each new generation becoming more progressive than its predecessor. Our recent YouGov polling found a decrease of 17% in 18-25 year olds able to correctly identify that women are not responsible for keeping themselves safe from sexual violence, compared to polling in 2021.

 This data supports the findings of multiple academic studies, including that there is a widening gap between men and women’s attitudes, with young men in particular becoming regressive in their attitudes to consent and equality.

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:

“If we are to end violence against women, it is crucial that we engage men and boys in this work, which for too long has been perceived as a burden for women and girls to shoulder.

Tackling gender inequality not only helps prevent women and girls from being harmed but also benefits men and boys, by transforming restrictive expectations around masculinity. This requires change across the whole of society, from the media to sport and education. 

This new report shows that men and boys must be directly involved in the conversation, and in any action to tackle violence against women and girls. 

Engaging men and boys is a crucial part of preventing violence against women and girls. A slew of reports has found the government is not doing enough or investing sufficiently in prevention, which is essential if it is to meet its own mission to halve VAWG in a decade.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

• All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,117 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th – 6th February 2025.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). Data tables available here: https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/EVAW_WomensSafety_250206.pdf 
• 2021 YouGov polling data is available here: https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EVAW_SexualViolence_211028.pdf 
• Professor Nicole Westmarland is a professor of criminology at Durham University, and is Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA). Professor Westmarland has written six books, many journal articles and research reports including Project Mirabal – the largest research project to date in the UK on domestic violence perpetrator programmes. Nicole is an academic activist and works towards ending violence and abuse.  
• Dr Stephen R Burrell is a lecturer in criminology at the University of Melbourne, and an honorary fellow at Durham University. He is the co-host of Now and Men podcast, co-chair of Melbourne Research Alliance to End violence against women and their children (MAEVe) 
• They are co-authors of Government Equalities Office Toolkit (2020): Engaging with Men and Boys about Masculine Gender Norms & Men’s Activism to End Violence Against Women (Policy Press, 2021) and the book ‘Men’s Activism to End Violence Against Women: Voices from Spain, Sweden and the UK’ (Policy Press, 2021).

Media contact

Sinéad Geoghegan, Head of Communications, media@evaw.org.uk, 07960 744 502