Heriot-Watt, as part of The Fearless Edinburgh Partnership, joins White Ribbon Campaign Scotland

This 16 Days of Activism, the Fearless Edinburgh Partnership is announcing its intention to work together over the coming year to bring the White Ribbon Campaign Scotland to Edinburgh by November 2022.

The Fearless Edinburgh Partnership brings together the Edinburgh and Scottish Borders tertiary education sector including Heriot-Watt University, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University, Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh College, and Borders College) supported by partners across NHS Lothian, Edinburgh Rape Crisis, Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Victim Support and Police Scotland.

We are a multiagency partnership tackling and preventing gender-based violence in all its forms through joint strategic and operational actions. Primarily focusing on further and higher education settings we are committed to ending sexual violence by challenging harmful behaviours and attitudes alongside supporting those impacted and building confidence. Informed by Equally Safe, our common purpose is to deliver safer communities and culture change; a Fearless Edinburgh.

This commitment sees us launch joint efforts across our universities and colleges through our White Ribbon Status Project. While we will be working together, we will also take forward activities and events in each individual setting to support ending violence against women and girls.

The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is the first male-led campaign working to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) across the world. White Ribbon Campaign Scotland (WRCS) is part of the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe Equally Safe ‘Primary Prevention’ workstream.

In progressing the White Ribbon Scotland Status Project Fearless Edinburgh is demonstrating our commitment through strategic leaders in each of the Higher and Further Education settings.

Today, we start with leaders from our universities and colleges publicly committing to the White Ribbon Campaign Scotland Pledge:

I pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women in all its forms