Media centre

Friday 25 Nov 2022

Transport community support campaign to end violence against women and girls

Region & Route:

National

Network Rail, Train Operating Companies (TOCs), Transport for London (TfL) and the British Transport Police (BTP) have thrown their support, once again, behind the White Ribbon UK campaign.

The White Ribbon Day campaign (25 November) is a day that asks men never to use, excuse or remain silent about violence against women. 

Senior leaders from 16 companies and organisations from the rail industry will come together today (25 November) for a summit with White Ribbon to discuss industry-wide commitments to women's safety, both employees and passengers.

In a show of solidarity, the white ribbon logos will be displayed on trains across the rail network and Network Rail managed stations to raise awareness for the campaign. 

Anthea Scully Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK said: “It's vital that all women are able to live their lives without the fear of violence. We are excited to partner with members of the rail industry to support #TheGoal for White Ribbon Day to bring so many people on board to come together to make a difference to women's safety. It’s inspirational to see leaders in the rail industry commit to prioritising women's safety in their services and with their employees.”

Network Rail’s Andrew Haines. Chief Executive said: “We fully recognise and support the importance of the White Ribbon Campaign. It is up to us as an industry to do all we can to ensure that women working and travelling on the rail network can do so free from the fear of violence. 

“At Network Rail we are working towards developing a zero-tolerance approach to sexist or abusive behaviours for both our colleagues and our customers. We continue to provide training on how to spot the signs of abuse and are making sure we have the right support in place.”

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “The rail industry is committed to tackling all forms of violence and harassment to make sure that all passengers feel comfortable when travelling by train. The Rail Delivery Group is proud to be supporting White Ribbon Day and we have committed to becoming a White Ribbon accredited organisation. This is an important cause and we are working with train operators so this campaign has national support across the rail network.”

BTP Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor, said: “There is absolutely no place for violence and intimidation against women and girls, and we’re dedicated to stamping out this behaviour for those travelling and working on the railway. 

“Everyone can play a part in making the railway network a safer place for women. We’re calling upon passengers to not be bystanders to this behaviour, and report anything to us via 61016 or the Railway Guardian app. We will always take you seriously.”

Siwan Hayward, Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement at TfL, said: "The safety of women and girls is an absolute priority for TfL and we are working to make our network as safe as possible. We are proud to be a White Ribbon accredited organisation and are committed to challenging sexist behaviour in the workplace, raising awareness of the impact of domestic abuse and improving our support to colleagues. However, our action tackling violence against women and girls is not only for today, it is part of an ongoing commitment to ensure our network is safe, and feels safe, for women, girls and gender diverse people. Our work with the police, the transport industry, White Ribbon UK and other partners is essential to that.”

Network Rail managed train stations across the UK will be hosting events with trained volunteers, alongside local women’s specialist support services promoting their services and the Rail to Refuge scheme. Stations include Birmingham New Street, Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Kings Cross, Waterloo and Liverpool Lime Street.

You can make the White Ribbon Promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about domestic violence and sign up to be a White Ribbon Ambassador at https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/  

Notes to editors

The organisations attending the White Ribbon summit are as follows: White Ribbon, Department for Transport, Network Rail, Transport for London, Rail Delivery Group, Women in Rail, West Midland Trains, CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways, South Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Community Rail, Transport for West Midlands, Transport for Greater Manchester and GBRf.

JCDecaux UK, who manage the advertising screens at Network Rail managed stations, has thrown their support behind the campaign by freeing up space both inside and outside stations to display the White Ribbon campaign logo.

The rail industry is supporting the Rail to refuge scheme, launched in March 2020 by Women’s Aid, which provides free rail travel for survivors with a refuge space. For more information on the scheme and how it works, please visit the Rail to refuge FAQs