Metro says it is shining a light on the scale of the violence against women epidemic and empowering readers to tackle this national emergency.
The publisher says This is Not Right will prioritise the stories of victims, survivors, family members and activists as well as promote responsible reporting on crimes against women.
Writing in today’s Metro, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has thrown her support behind the year-long campaign, saying abusers and rapists don’t belong on UK streets with Labour promising to halve violence against women in the next decade.
“It is time we treated these appalling crimes as the national emergency that they are,” the MP wrote.
“Tackling violence against women and girls is for everyone. That is why initiatives such as Metro’s This Is Not Right campaign are so important and powerful.”
Metro says Women’s Aid are supporting This Is Not Right as formal partners, while charities including Refuge, White Ribbon, Killed Women and EVAW have endorsed the campaign, which launches on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The weekday newspaper says it will utilise its five million readers a day on print and social media and its 78.3 million online users a month to spread the message that enough is enough and violence against women must stop.
One in four UK women will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives and an estimated 1.4 million have suffered domestic abuse in the previous year, added the publisher.
This is Not Right will signpost readers towards help as well as educate, engage and empower its diverse audience on the issue, the publisher continued.
“Violence against women has escalated to new heights in recent years, and the statistics are shocking,” Metro editor-in-chief, Deborah Arthurs said.
“Between 2018 and 2023, there was a 37% increase in crimes related to violence against women and girls. We know that over 100 women in the UK are killed each year at the hands of men and that. around the world, every 11 minutes a woman or girl is killed in her own home.
“That is why Metro is today launching This Is Not Right, a 12-month campaign addressing the epidemic of violence against women, that aims to engage and empower our readers.
“As well as giving women the platform they need, we want to engage men too, with a view to empowering all our readers to take action against this systemic issue.”
Randip Thompson, Women's Aid director of engagement, said: “Women’s Aid is proud to be supporting Metro’s This is Not Right campaign.
“The media has a pivotal role to play in ending violence against women and girls through spreading awareness of this gender-based abuse and empowering the public to take action against it.
“Campaigns, such as This Is Not Right, are invaluable for positively changing narratives around abuse and ensuring that survivors feel validated and supported.”
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