Southwark Council and Peckhamplex have come together this White Ribbon Day to challenge sexism and misogyny in the borough.
Last White Ribbon Day, the council launched a hard-hitting campaign targeted at men and boys that showed sexual harassment through a girl’s eyes. Since then, the campaign film has been watched nearly half a million times, garnering multi-award nominations.
Now iconic Rye Lane institution Peckhamplex will be showing the council’s women’s safety film before age-appropriate films during the 16 days of activism following White Ribbon Day.
Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, said: “The message coming out of Southwark is clear: we will not tolerate abuse against women and girls on any scale in our borough. Over the past year our message has reached thousands of men and boys through direct engagement and their phones screens. Now it’s on the big screen in South London’s most popular cinema. We’re proud to be working together with Peckhamplex to show that there is no place for gender-based violence in Southwark.”
Cllr Evelyn Akoto, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are committed to tackling misogyny in Southwark because at its worst, it’s a matter of life and death. Our campaign is about ending the toxic culture that normalises this behaviour. We each have a duty to take this conversation to the men and boys in our lives – whether that’s at work, at home or among friends. We are grateful to Peckhamplex in helping us reach a whole new audience through screening our film.”
Simone Brown, Director of Peckhamplex, said: “Peckhamplex is fully supportive of Southwark Council’s commitment to making woman’s safety a priority by challenging sexism and misogyny in the borough. We are pleased to include this film with our scheduled programme following White Ribbon Day.”
The campaign film is available in every school and youth setting in Southwark, and is now being adopted across London.
The council partnered with agency Nice and Serious to deliver ‘Through Her Eyes’ as part of wider efforts to tackle misogyny in the Southwark, including:
· setting up London’s first cross-borough network of safe havens in partnership with Lambeth Council
· launching the Women’s Safety Survey 2023 to gather insights into how to improve the safety of all women
· Community Wardens that have been specially trained to spot potential violence and harassment on the boroughs’ streets
· CCTV operators undergoing specialist training so they can direct action on the ground
During the 16 days of activism, Southwark Council is also running a number of events, including community outreach events and professional training. See the full event programme.
