WMCA recognised for tackling violence against women and girls

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has been formally recognised for its work in tackling violence against women and girls, Mayor Richard Parker announced today (25 November)

The organisation has been awarded White Ribbon accreditation for actively working to prevent harassment, abuse, and violence against women and girls.

To gain White Ribbon accreditation, an organisation must make a strategic commitment, appoint a senior leader as a White Ribbon Ambassador or Champion, and designate a lead contact to coordinate the development of a three-year action plan. 

The recognition came as the UK marked White Ribbon Day, which is held each year to raise awareness of the need to prevent such violence as well as harassment and abuse.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the WMCA, has been working hard to create a safe and supportive environment for all public transport passengers, especially women and girls. Part of this has involved training its Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) to White Ribbon accreditation level.

Mayor Richard Parker (centre) with Transport Safety Officers Mohammed Naqshbandi (left) and Simran Sheemar (right), who have been promoting the White Ribbon campaign ‘We Speak Up’

TfWM employs 13 TSOs to provide reassurance while responding to incidents on the network.

Through the White Ribbon accredited training, all the TSOs are now White Ribbon Ambassadors (men) and Champions (women).

They also complete empathy virtual reality training to help male officers better understand women’s experiences on the transport network, as well as stalking and harassment awareness training provided by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe, always. Violence against women and girls is utterly unacceptable, and we all have a duty to call it out and put an end to it.

“I’m committed to ensuring the West Midlands’ public transport is safe for all passengers, so I’m delighted that we’ve achieved White Ribbon UK accreditation. This will help to provide reassurance for women and girls who are travelling on our network that their safety will always be our number one priority.”

Michael Sandland, operations manager for Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) and a White Ribbon Ambassador, said: “Our TSOs are not just a visible presence – they are advocates for change.

“This White Ribbon Day, we want more men to step forward, speak up, and challenge behaviours that make women and girls feel unsafe.

“Safety must be designed into every journey, and that means listening to women’s voices and embedding their experiences into how we plan and operate our transport network. Together, we can create a system where everyone feels safe, equal, and respected.”

The WMCA has also launched an awareness raising video resource entitled ‘What Could I Do?’ . The video was created based on real life incidents reported to the Safer Travel Partnership and shows information on how to report issues and how to encourage passengers to safely intervene and support each other in difficult situations.

Natalie Queiroz MBE, victims advocate for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, launched the video and said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see West Midlands Combined Authority gain their White Ribbon Accreditation. In order to effectively tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and drive its incidence down, then it is key we identify and change behaviours at the root of the issue.

“It is key we develop an awareness and understanding of what unacceptable language and behaviour is. It is key that we can be an upstander, an ally and speak out against it. Change requires all of us to come together and by being part of the White Ribbon campaign, we give a clear message we will not tolerate these actions and behaviours as we stand strong against VAWG.”

A dedicated Safer Travel Education Officer actively visits local communities to deliver workshops and reassurance sessions across a wide range of settings, including faith schools, girls’ schools, and support groups for survivors of abuse. The officer also talks to groups of people who recently arrived in the UK and will be using the video as a key visual resource.

The focus of these sessions is to encourage the reporting of unwanted or inappropriate behaviour, provide practical safety advice, address individual concerns and barriers to using public transport and empower individuals with the confidence and knowledge to travel safely and independently. 

Since 2014, the Safer Travel Partnership (TfWM, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police) has been running the Empower campaign to raise awareness on buses, stops and stations to encourage people to report incidents. 

Workshops designed to share information on understanding what is inappropriate behaviour, how to report incidents, real life scenarios training and information about what the partnership is doing to keep the network safe are delivered in education establishments and businesses across the city - engaging with nearly 150,000 individuals across the region.

In addition, the Project Empower campaign is being promoted across the network. This works similarly to the Ask for Angela initiative but is specifically tailored for use on buses, offering passengers a discreet way to ask for help if they feel unsafe.   

With a reduction in anti-social behaviour incidents and positive feedback, the TSO approach has been recognised nationally, with the Department for Transport (DfT) requesting support to roll out the TSO model in other regions.

To find out more about the White Ribbon Day visit: White Ribbon Day 2025 — White Ribbon UK