11 Incredible Activists Working To End Male Violence Against Women And Girls

By Meg Walters

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a national emergency.

And women and girls are all too aware. It's impossible to ignore the steady stream of horror stories in the headlines each and every day. There are countless cases of women who have been attacked on public transport, harassed on the street, attacked online or abused in their own homes. And to make matters even more chilling, 54% of women lack confidence that the police will properly investigate reports of domestic abuse — after all, there have been numerous stories about police abusing their position of power in order to harass, assault and even kill women themselves.

Between 2018 and 2023, there was a 37% increase in violent crimes committed against women and girls. As of July 2024, an average of 3,000 offences were recorded each day, with 1 in 12 women experiencing VAWG each year. Perhaps the most horrifying statistic? A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK.

And then there is the matter of the culture — studies have shown that a growing number of young men are showing interest in a far-right culture of misogyny encouraged by male supremacist influencers like Andrew Tate and, even more disturbingly, by prominent politicians.

But then there are the people working tirelessly to fight back. Meet ten of the incredible activists who are taking on VAWG in the UK today:

Tate Smith

Activist Tate Smith describes his trans identity as his “super power” – and often uses his experiences to advocate for women's safety.

“As a trans man, I’ve experienced life on both sides of the gender divide – and it’s been eye-opening,” he says. "When I lived as a woman, I faced sexual harassment, assault and everyday misogyny. Now as a man, those experiences are almost non-existent. I can navigate the world safely in ways I couldn’t before and it’s made me realise just how much privilege I now have and how important it is to use it.

"I’ve seen the rise in violence against women and girls and hoped it would resolve itself, but it hasn’t. Too few men are speaking up, so I’ve made it my mission to raise awareness. Men often listen to other men, and as a public speaker and activist, I’ve seen the power of leveraging male privilege to inspire allyship. I want women to know there are men like me fighting for change and showing that we all have a role to play in ending this epidemic of violence."