Violence against women and girls HAS to stop – here’s how
A massive problem demands equally large ambition, as our award-winning, multi-year initiative with London Borough of Redbridge has shown.
ThisHasToStop has a bold ambition, to end violence and harassment against women and girls in the borough – and in its first year saw street harassment cut by 22%.
Client
London Borough of Redbridge
The brief
Create a step change in violence and harassment against women and girls in the borough.
Key insight
It is possible to reduce VAWG and bring about culture change, but this requires a clear behaviour change strategy and a 360 degree initiative involving multiple stakeholder groups.
Grounded in research and behavioural insights, ThisHasToStop is an integrated behavioural campaign that focuses on key areas of effectiveness, including enforcement, engagement and education, so as to drive lasting change at the community level.
The initiative has received widespread recognition as a model of good practice, including winning the LGC Awards ‘Campaign of the Year’ in 2025.
Part of what makes ThisHasToStop special is its comprehensiveness. The Council made a major commitment to tackling VAWG in the borough with the aim of making Redbridge ‘No place for abuse’.
Social Engine didn’t just deliver a brilliant project, they helped transform our team. They mentored us to improve our skills in evidence and analysis, and inspired us to think differently about why we’re here and what we can achieve.
John Richards, Head of Community Safety
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Sexual harassment offences in Redbridge fell by more than twice the rate of London as a whole in the same period (2023-24).
Equipping bystanders to ‘Step In’ and take positive action
Step In equips citizens with the skills to take positive action when they see a woman being harassed, in a deliberately simplified model of how to be an active bystander.
Stepping in safely involves three easy to remember steps:
Distract him
Support her
Get help
We enlisted male community leaders so that they could model positive masculinity while serving as advocates for the initiative.
Active bystander training
A Step In workshop is being utilised by business and community groups to train people how to step in.
This credit card sized leaflet helps people to remember the ‘three ways to step in’ and serves as a reminder to intervene.
Staff and residents trained as active bystanders.
500+
Learned about sexist violence through our TikTok channel.
100,000
Started conversations about harassment with family and friends.
33%
Empowering the next generation with knowledge and skills around relationships, misogyny and harassment
The Step In programme has been rolled out to schools as a series of well designed lessons plans, along with ‘Step In to Secondary’ a guide for children moving into secondary school that explores key life skills, such as setting boundaries and having healthy relationships.
Instead of telling women to keep themselves safe, Redbridge has really shifted the narrative. Harassment isn’t being swept under the rug any more. The rest of London should follow suit.’
Local resident