Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Harrow
- Jul 13
- 7 min read
Between 2024 and 2026, Voicebox partnered with the London Borough of Harrow and the London Violence Reduction Unit to deliver an ambitious programme focused on preventing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) through early intervention.
Over 18 months, the project engaged more than 2,370 young people, 76 professionals, and 15 parents across schools, colleges, youth settings, and community organisations throughout the borough.
The programme focused on helping young people explore masculinity, challenge harmful gender norms, and build healthier, more positive models of identity, relationships, and manhood.
The results demonstrate that when young people are engaged through curiosity rather than blame, authentic and honest conversations can take place that support long-term cultural change and violence prevention.
This blog post summarises some of the key findings and insights from the programme, but feel free to read our full report, including all content details and data, by requesting it via email at fredi@voiceboxcic.com.
Why this work is needed
Preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG) requires more than responding after harm has already occurred. Increasingly, research and government policy emphasise the importance of early intervention and working with young people before harmful attitudes and behaviours become established.
Evidence shows that rigid and unhealthy forms of masculinity are associated with higher levels of misogyny, violence, and violence against women and girls (Flood, 2019). As a result, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners increasingly recognise that engaging boys and young men must be part of any long-term prevention strategy (Barker et al., 2011; Casey et al., 2016; Ruane-McAteer et al., 2020).
This approach is reflected in the UK Government’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (2025), which identifies prevention and early intervention as essential components of reducing VAWG. The strategy also highlights the importance of providing young people with positive and aspirational models of masculinity that promote respect, equality, empathy, and healthy relationships.
However, many schools and youth organisations report a growing challenge. Boys are increasingly disengaging from conversations about gender, masculinity, and equality. Too often, these discussions are perceived as negative, blaming, or focused solely on what boys are doing wrong i.e. the “problem” with boys.
When this happens, opportunities to build empathy, responsibility, and allyship can be lost so quickly. In some cases, disengagement can also leave young people even more vulnerable to harmful content online, finding ‘guidance’ and/or validation through online influencers and misogynistic narratives that promote rigid and unhealthy ideas about manhood.
Many young people arrive at Voicebox sessions feeling already disconnected from conversations about masculinity, while others are navigating huge social pressures from peers, social media, and online communities. This makes creating engaging, non-judgemental spaces for discussion more important than ever.
Research suggests that the most effective prevention programmes do not simply tell young people what not to do. Instead, they help them critically examine gender norms, reflect on their own values, and develop healthier, more flexible understandings of masculinity and relationships (World Health Organization, 2019; Lynn et al., 2019; Marhayati et al., 2024).
This was the foundation of Voicebox's work in Harrow. The focus on engaging young people through curiosity rather than blame meant the programme encouraged critical reflection on harmful gender stereotypes while offering a positive vision of masculinity built around respect, kindness, authenticity, accountability, and inclusion.
In doing so, the project addressed some of the cultural factors that contribute to VAWG while helping young people build the skills, confidence and awareness needed to create safer schools, healthier relationships, and stronger communities.
Voicebox’s approach: Engagement through curiosity
Voicebox’s approach is grounded in a simple principle: You cannot challenge harmful attitudes, beliefs or norms unless young people feel safe enough to engage in the conversation.
Rather than positioning boys as a problem to be fixed, Voicebox created spaces where young people could openly discuss the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes they encounter. Workshops encouraged participants to critically reflect on gender norms while also exploring positive, values-based alternatives.
This strengths-based approach recognised that harmful gender norms can negatively affect everyone, including boys themselves. Voicebox was able to create productive conversations about respect, relationships, equality, wellbeing, and personal values, by working to reduce defensiveness and encourage curiosity throughout each session.
What was delivered?
Over the course of the project, Voicebox delivered:
94 workshops
7 school assemblies
6 staff training sessions
2 parent webinars
Sessions were delivered in five schools, two youth settings, a further education college, and a range of community organisations across Harrow.
Workshop content was adapted for different age groups, ranging from primary school pupils to young adults aged 25.
Topics included:
Gender stereotypes and social expectations
Healthy masculinity
Leadership and allyship
Emotional resilience
Respectful relationships
Challenging harmful attitudes and behaviours
Online influences and the “manosphere”
Building positive school and community cultures
Alongside work with young people, Voicebox trained teachers, youth workers, youth justice practitioners, and community professionals to help sustain conversations beyond the workshops themselves.
Reaching more than 2,300 young people
One of the programme’s greatest achievements was its scale.
Voicebox engaged more than 2,370 young people across Harrow, many of whom had not previously had access to dedicated education around masculinity, gender stereotypes, and violence prevention.
The programme reached students in primary schools, secondary schools, sixth forms, colleges, and youth organisations, ensuring conversations took place at multiple stages of young people’s development.
Importantly, the project did not only focus on boys. Sessions were delivered largely in mixed-gender environments, creating opportunities for all young people to reflect on gender norms and their impact on individuals, relationships, and communities.
Key outcomes
One of the most significant findings from the project was the extent to which it successfully re-engaged young people in conversations about masculinity and gender.
Across multiple schools, students reported more positive attitudes towards discussions about masculinity after participating in Voicebox workshops.
At Whitmore High School, positive perceptions of conversations about masculinity increased by more than 40%. Equally important, the proportion of students who described themselves as uninterested in these discussions halved following participation.
At one secondary school, students reported substantial increases in positive attitudes towards conversations about gender and masculinity (33% for “very positive” and 8.2% for “a little bit positive”), alongside greater willingness to engage with these topics in future.
These findings suggest that Voicebox’s approach successfully overcame one of the biggest barriers to prevention work: disengagement.
By creating safe, non-judgemental spaces for discussion, the programme encouraged young people to become active participants in conversations that are essential to preventing future harm.
Challenging gender stereotypes early & working with KS2
The strongest evidence of attitudinal change emerged among younger participants.
At Norbury Primary School, workshops helped pupils challenge restrictive gender stereotypes and rethink traditional ideas about strength.
Following participation:
Rejection of gendered assumptions around play and interests increased.
More students challenged the idea that strength means handling problems alone.
The number of students who strongly agreed that vulnerability is a form of strength nearly doubled.
Qualitative feedback highlighted how powerful these conversations were for pupils.
Students reported feeling more confident expressing their authentic interests regardless of gender expectations. Others reflected on standing up for peers who experienced teasing or exclusion because of gender stereotypes.
These findings reinforce the value of early prevention and intervention. When young people are encouraged to question harmful stereotypes at a younger age, there is greater potential to prevent attitudes becoming deeply embedded later in adolescence.
Supporting the adults around young people
While much of the programme focused on young people, Voicebox also recognised that sustainable change requires support from the adults who work with them every day, and these adults need to feel confident, prepared and supported themselves when providing this.
Training sessions were delivered to youth workers, youth justice practitioners, local authority staff, and community organisations.
Among Youth Justice Service and Community Safety Team participants:
Understanding of online influences and “manosphere” content increased by more than 36%.
Understanding of the causes of harmful attitudes and behaviours increased by almost 23%.
Confidence in challenging misogynistic behaviour increased by nearly 15%.
Every participant surveyed said they would recommend the training to colleagues.
Professionals consistently praised the practical nature of the training, particularly Voicebox’s “Recognise, Respond, Restore” framework for addressing harmful attitudes and behaviours.
Many participants described the sessions as among the most useful professional development opportunities they had attended.
Why continued investment matters
The project demonstrates that early intervention work focused on healthy masculinity and gender norms can make a meaningful contribution to preventing violence against women and girls.
The programme successfully:
Re-engaged young people in conversations about masculinity and gender.
Increased positive attitudes towards these discussions.
Challenged harmful stereotypes.
Strengthened confidence to challenge harmful behaviour.
Equipped professionals with practical prevention tools.
Reached thousands of young people across a diverse borough.
Importantly, the work was delivered at scale while maintaining a strong focus on safety, engagement, and evidence-informed practice.
However, the findings also highlight the need for sustained investment. Single-session interventions can spark important reflection, but long-term culture change requires ongoing reinforcement.
Next steps
The partnership between Voicebox and the London Borough of Harrow provides a compelling example of what effective prevention can look like in practice.
By focusing on curiosity, positive engagement, and strengths-based approaches, the programme demonstrated that boys and young men are willing to engage in honest conversations about masculinity, relationships, respect, and equality when given the opportunity.
It showed that these conversations can lead to measurable changes in attitudes, increased confidence, and stronger foundations for safer communities.
As local authorities, schools, and funders continue to explore solutions to Violence Against Women and Girls, this project offers a credible and scalable model for early intervention.
When young people are involved early in conversations around masculinity and gender stereotypes, and we equip and support the adults around them to facilitate these in safe and non-judgmental spaces, we can help build a future defined by respect, inclusion, and safety for everyone.
The full report for Voicebox and London Borough of Harrow’s collaborative project addressing Violence Against Women and Girls in Harrow can be requested via email at fredi@voiceboxcic.com.
References:
Barker, G., Ricardo, C., Nascimento, M., Olukoya, A., & Santos, C. (2011). Engaging boys and men in the prevention of sexual violence: A systematic and global review of evaluated interventions. Sexual Violence Research Initiative and Promundo.
Flood, M. (2018). Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention. Germany: Palgrave Macmillan US.
World Health Organization. (2019, November 19). Engaging men, addressing harmful masculinities to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights.
https://www.who.int/news/item/19-11-2019-engaging-men-addressing-harmful-masculinities to-improve-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights
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