Lewes FC Tackles Violence Against Women

October 29, 2021 

England's Lewes FC has launched a new campaign targeting misogyny, sexism and male-on-female violence. #CallHimOut is the club's pledge to call out inappropriate, sexist, disrespectful or harmful behaviour and comments from men towards women. 

This comes at a time when recent events in the UK have elevated discourse on women’s safety. The murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of a former police officer brought on discussions around how women are able to keep themselves safe outside. However, the controversial debate has focused more on ways that women can keep themselves safe, rather than educating men who may create unsafe situations.

"After the Sarah Everard case and the Sabina Nessa case, we were seeing a lot of people saying the response to violence against women and girls – putting the onus on women to change our behaviour, even to hail down a bus or wear a rape alarm – is incorrect,” Lewes FC co-director Karen Dobres told GiveMeSport. 

"It’s actually rubbing insult into injury. It's men that have the power in a patriarchy, therefore it's men who need to act. So we were seeing a lot of this kind of response, and lots of us at the football club were upset and angry."  

In 2017, through its Equality FC project, Lewes FC became the first professional or semi-professional club in the world to invest equally in their men’s and women’s sides, providing the same playing budgets, same pitch and same training facilities. Noting that the club had a lot of male members, Dobres spoke to the Board to point out that the men's team could really help change the way violence against women was being addressed.

The men's team, including managers and coaches have since committed to taking action as a group and individually. Their pledge states that "when anyone on the team hears or sees something said or done by a workmate, family member, friend or anyone they’re with, that they feel is disrespectful, sexist or harmful in any way to a woman, whether she’s there or not, they will speak to that man and hold him accountable."   

On its website Lewes FC explains that “Football is powerful. Its influence goes beyond the pitch and beyond the full-time whistle. And, for now, football is a majority male sport, in participation and watching it.” 

“So, what better place to take action against the epidemic of misogyny, sexism and male-on-female violence. Because it’s time, it’s way beyond time, that men took personal responsibility for what all women have to endure, day in, day out.” 

Source: GiveMeSport