Challenging gender based violence

Description

Join UWE Bristol’s College of Business and Law for a free International Women’s Day event tackling the urgent issue of gender-based violence

The College of Business and Law at UWE Bristol invites you to a free event for International Women’s Day 2026 focused on challenging the urgent issue of gender-based violence. Declared a national emergency in the UK, violence against women and girls requires an urgent response that is grounded in careful analysis, critical discussion and evidence-led approaches.

Keynote speaker Professor Sylvia Walby, OBE FBA FAcSS, Royal Holloway University of London will critically consider the Government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls in the next ten years. Examining the proposed national strategy, Professor Walby will look at how violence is theorised in society and how intersecting inequalities shape theory and practice. The keynote will also explore whether relying on the criminal justice system is the best approach and how social science research can help us understand and respond to this urgent issue.

The event includes a panel discussion with academics from across UWE Bristol’s College of Business and Law offering perspectives across a range of contexts:

• Duncan McPhee: policing responses to sex work
• Sophie Marsh: rape survivors’ experiences of the police and criminal justice system
• Chloe Tarrabain: anticipated stigma and identity work in the context of domestic abuse
• Stefano Gasparri: workplace sexual harassment and the role of male allyship

Who is this event for?

This free event is open to everyone interested in gender, law, policy and social justice.

Programme