The VAWG Curriculum
On 25th November 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
Killed Women launched ‘The VAWG Curriculum’ campaign
This campaign, which will be active for the duration of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, calls on the public, policymakers, educators and communities to take action today to build a safer future for women and girls.
Working in collaboration with a network of charities, influencers and partner organisations, this social media awareness campaign centres on a message of hope and prevention, with the message that violence against women and girls is not inevitable.
The campaign will highlight the urgent need for action – and invite people to play their part in changing what the future looks like for the better.
16 Days of actions – for us to take together, to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.
Please follow us on our social channels, and share our campaign: X / LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky / TikTok / YouTube
16 lessons over 16 days –
why we need ‘The VAWG Curriculum’
How can we create a safer future for women and girls?
Follow The VAWG Curriculum: 16 actions proposed by Killed Women for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
We want a better future for our children and young people, and we need to act NOW.
Support our 16-day campaign to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls, launching on 25th November.
As our campaign unfolds day by day, you will find here each day’s Message, Call to Action and videos from our contributors, for you to read, act on, watch and share widely.
Our Killed Women family member Layla introduces our VAWG Curriculum campaign
As we launch our campaign, we hear from one of our Killed Women co-founders, Jhiselle Feanny
Our Killed Women family member Jodie explains why our prevention campaign means so much to her
Campaigner David Challen is proud to be part of our VAWG Curriculum campaign
Day 1
Our Message
A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK, and we have to stop this, urgently
Young people need information about violence against women and girls that is easy to understand.
Support young people and help us build a better future by sharing key information in a clear and concise way.
Campaigner Payzee Mahmood explains why we need accessible information for young people
Mel Goodway from health and domestic abuse charity IRISi talks about the important role healthcare can play in sharing information
Our Call to Action
Here are some free-to-download resources for social media from the government’s ENOUGH campaign: Social media | ENOUGH
And here is a healthy relationships checklist from the charity IDAS: Healthy relationships checklist - IDAS
For those working in health, IRISi provides specialist training and programmes: IRISi - Domestic abuse is a health issue
Let’s raise important awareness together, and support those young people who are experiencing trauma today.
Day 2
Our Message
Children and young people need to be educated on healthy relationships
This work starts with schools and education. Schools need not only resources like toolkits, but also the capacity and training to deliver relationship and sex education well.
We hear from Susie McDonald, CEO of the charity Tender, about the importance of education work in preventing domestic abuse
GJ Melendez-Torres from the University of Exeter tells us why he believes education is so crucial in addressing violence against women and girls
Our Call to Action
Email your MP and ask them to raise with Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, if there will be training and support for teachers to deliver relationship and sex education in a high-quality manner to support the upcoming VAWG Strategy. Find your MP – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament
Also, find out more about the work of brilliant charities such as Let Me Know www.lmkletmeknow.org and Tender www.tender.org.uk
Day 3
Our Message
Why is it crucial to educate 16-19 year-olds on domestic abuse? Because they are more likely to be victims than any other age group
Relationship education cannot stop at 16. Today we are supporting Make it Mandatory’s important campaign for it to continue.
Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is only mandatory until age 16. After that, there’s no requirement for young people to receive continued education on healthy relationships, consent or coercive control – leaving them unprepared for university, romantic relationships and life after school.
Faustine, who founded Make it Mandatory, explains why she is supporting the VAWG Curriculum campaign
Darius from Make it Mandatory adds his voice to the campaign
Our Call to Action
Sign Make it Mandatory’s petition: Petition · Ask the government to help prevent domestic abuse through education – United Kingdom · Change.org
‘This petition and campaign call on the government to extend and mandate RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) to KS5 students (sixth form and college students aged 16-18) as one step in a wider societal approach to preventing violence against women and girls.
Education can save lives and prevention is the most effective solution to the problem.
Please sign this petition - to help protect all of Britain’s youth, as domestic abuse does not discriminate.’
Day 4
Our Message
More positive action is needed outside of education to stop violence against women
We need to highlight and support positive work happening in sports clubs and places where young people spend time, like youth clubs.
Our Call to Action
For the young people in your life, find out about spaces where they can spend time outside of education, where youth workers can play an important role in supporting the formation of healthy relationships.
You can find out more about the OnSide network of YouthZones here OnSide - A national youth charity that's here for young people.
And if you have a sports club or youth club in your community, ask them if they share information about healthy relationships, and if they have support information for those experiencing abuse.
Day 5
Our Message
AI and social media platforms must do more to help prevent violence against women
Social media has an important role to play. As well as many relationships starting online, harmful misogynistic content can be shared across social platforms.
Hera at Chayn gives her support to the campaign
Our Call to Action
Call out sexism and misogyny on social media when you see it - report and flag abusive posts on your social platforms. Ask the provider what their policy is on violence against women and girls.
And share the ‘feminist AI’ tool from Chayn, Survivor AI, to take down images: Survivor AI | Free AI-Powered Image Takedown Tool by Chayn
Day 6
Our Message
We need male allies, and violence against women is a male problem
We need male allies to end violence against women because gender-based violence isn’t just a ‘women’s issue’; it’s a societal issue rooted in gender inequality, and men play a critical role both in its causes and in its solutions.
Male allies can model alternative masculinities: empathy, equality, respect and anti-violence. When male allies reject sexist jokes, question stereotypes and support equality, they help shift the social norms that allow violence to persist.
Today Andrew ‘Bernie’ Bernard joins The VAWG Curriculum campaign
Andrew ‘Bernie’ Bernard explains why male violence is an issue for men
Our Call to Action
Today on our social media platforms we have a video from Andrew ‘Bernie’ Bernard explaining why violence against women is a men’s issue.
Please share this video across your social media platforms and networks to raise awareness.
Day 7
Our Message
We NEED bystanders to take more action
Bystander training is an essential part of ending violence against women because it shifts the focus from only the victim and perpetrator to the broader community – encouraging everyone to take responsibility for creating safer environments.
The Four Stages of Bystander Intervention,
by Kindling Interventions
Our Call to Action
Ask if your employer or place of education can have bystander intervention training.
Find out more about existing programmes, such as the ‘Don’t Stand By, Step In’ Programme in Redbridge CII-Innovation-Collective_2025_v14_Part27.pdf; and the evidence-based training offer from Kindling Interventions Why bystander | Kindling Interventions.
Day 8
Our Message
Children’s voices need to be listened to and respected in the courts
Today we are supporting ‘Ruma’s Rules’, which ask for children to have a say - and be listened to when they do speak - and for judges and officers to have their records marked with the 'failings' that have led to a femicide.
Onjali, one of our Killed Women family members, a charity campaigner and author, explains why she is asking for support for ‘Ruma’s Rules’
Our Call to Action
Please visit this page to learn about the campaign led by Making Herstory, and for a template letter to write to your MP in support of it: Campaign for Ruma's Rules | Making Herstory.
“Ruma deserved better. Her daughters deserved better. Of the police, of the judiciary, of ‘the system’.
It’s time to change ALL of it, for the sake of all women and children living and to come.”
Day 9
Our Message
Why must employers address domestic abuse? Because it directly affects employees, workplaces and society as a whole
A free-to-join members’ network of employers, the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA) supports over 2,000 large and small businesses, around over 25% of the UK workforce, to take effective action on domestic abuse.
Susan Bright, Chief Executive of EIDA, explains why an employers' response to domestic abuse is so important - and how they have an important role to play
Our Call to Action
Ask your employer to join EIDA. EIDA is free to join and will give your organisation access to a whole host of resources and events to start or develop your workplace response to tackling domestic abuse.
Day 10
Our Message
Judges need training to protect women and girls from being abused and killed by men
Families tell us that their experiences in the court can be as traumatising as their experience of abuse. It is crucial that judges have appropriate and regular, trauma-informed training on violence against women, so that women and their families can be protected from dangerous perpetrators.
Kirsty Richards, who is a solicitor and Domestic Abuse Specialist, tells us why regular, trauma-informed training for judges is much needed – and it has to be of the highest quality
Our Call to Action
Send a postcard or letter to the Lady Chief Justice at The Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL, with the following message:
Judges need trauma-informed training to protect women and girls from being abused and killed by men. Please ensure judges are trained by experts to save lives.
I am supporting the Killed Women ‘VAWG Curriculum’ campaign to prevent violence against women and girls.
If you have a personal example of why this is important to you, please do add this to your postcard or letter.
Day 11
Our Message
Name something that is needed for young women and children in schools: Mental health support
Mental health support is needed for both young women and children in schools. Many will be experiencing the trauma of abuse at home or in a relationship. There are also too many children in our education system who have lost their mother to male violence. We can only reach children effectively and speak about healthy relationships if we ensure they have the mental health support they need first.
Our Killed Women family member Layla explains the need for mental health support for bereaved children
Thank you Phoebe Torrance for supporting our campaign and explaining why mental health support is so important
Our Call to Action
Write to your MP and ask them to raise with Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the urgent need for young women and children to access to mental health support in education. Find your MP - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament.
Day 12
Our Message
Women and girls in rural areas experiencing violence and abuse also need support
We need to consider violence against women and girls in rural areas, who face the additional issues of physical isolation, lack of community spaces and lack of transport links.
Judith Vickress, founder of RiTA, explains the additional barriers for survivors in rural areas
Our Call to Action
Find out more about domestic abuse in rural areas at the RiTA (Rural Initiatives for Tackling Abuse) website RiTA - Rural Initiatives Tackling Abuse | domestic abuse
Investigate the resources for young people on the Rural Media website Rural Media - Projects.
Day 13
Our Message
Long-term funding for refuges and crisis centres is vital
Without providing long-term and sustainable funding for lifesaving refuges and crisis centres, the government cannot achieve its goal of halving violence against women and girls in a decade. If refuge doors close, lives will be lost.
Emma Bray, Chief Executive of Surrey-based domestic abuse charity I Choose Freedom, explains the reality of the funding situation for the refuge services the charity runs
Our Call to Action
Sign Refuge’s ‘Enough is Enough: Fund Services for Women and Girls Now’ petition here: Refuge.
“Women and girls deserve more than warm words. They deserve safety, support, and a system that protects them.
Add your name to demand the Government to urgently plug the £307 million funding gap for survivors and deliver on its promise to protect women and girls.”
Day 14
Our Message
We need to confront the failures that leave Black, minoritised and migrant abuse victims unprotected
There are many failures that leave Black, minoritised and migrant (BMM) abuse victims and their families further unprotected and without justice.
Killed Women’s ‘Invisible Women’ campaign demands accountability, visibility and systemic reform. We cannot create a future where women and girls are safe from male violence without working together to confront these barriers.
Watch our ‘Invisible Women’ film - and take action to stand in solidarity with BMM abuse victims and their families
Read the report ‘Invisible Women “Made Visible”’
Our Call to Action
Today we ask you to join the Invisible Women campaign and stand in solidarity with BMM abuse victims and families Invisible Women — Killed Women
● Watch the film 'Invisible Women: We Were Here, Where Were You?'
● Sign the pledge 'Invisible Women: We Were Here, Where Were You?'
● Read the report 'Invisible Women “Made Visible”: Learning from the Femicides of Black, Minoritised and Migrant Women'
Day 15
Our Message
Dangerous men need to be locked up for their entire sentence
This is an ongoing issue for many of our families, who fear the consequences of freeing the most dangerous men.
Until yesterday, Natalie Queiroz MBE was facing Babur Raja, the man who attempted to murder her when she was 8 months pregnant, being transferred to an open prison after serving just 9 years. He has now been sent back to closed prison.
BUT it's not over. It will only be six months until he is re-assessed again. That's not justice. Domestic abusers and stalkers are being released early to open prisons due to a back door change in policy. This leaves victims like Natalie at risk.
Watch Laura Richard’s interview with Natalie Queiroz for Crime Analyst
Hannah, whose best friend Charlotte was killed, said: “I’m supporting this campaign in memory of my best friend Charlotte, whose life was stolen by abuse. Her abuser received a sentence of four years. a punishment that will never reflect the life that was taken. I want to be part of the change that could save others.”
Our Call to Action
● Write to David Lammy, UK Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, and ask that he:
1. STOPS Babur Raja’s early transfer to Cat D open prison (a six months reprieve is not long enough);
2. EXCLUDES domestic abusers and stalkers from early transfer to Cat D prison.
E-mail: david.lammy.mp@parliament.uk cc: mail@davidlammy.co.uk
● Also write to Alex Davies Jones, Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women, with the same message: alex.daviesjones.mp@parliament.uk
● Listen to the new Crime Analyst Episode #292 ‘Babur Raja Update: WE WON BUT we found out he’ll be re-assessed in six not 12 months’
Day 16
Our Final Day Message
It will take all of us to save the lives of women and girls – and we need a prevention strategy to do it
A prevention strategy from our government is urgently needed because violence against women and girls is a serious, widespread and deeply rooted problem that affects individuals, families and societies.
We need to not only deal with the consequences of abuse. We need to prevent abuse from happening in the future to save lives.
GJ Melendez-Torres from the University of Exeter tells us why he believes preventing violence against women and girls is achievable, and that we need to start with a public health response
On the final day of our campaign, our Killed Women family member Jodie tells us about the needless loss of her step-sister’s and niece’s lives
We hear from Daniel Wing, one of our family members, about why the campaign is so important to him. Remembering Daniel's mum, Tina
On the last day of our VAWG Curriculum campaign, Jodie, who is one of our bereaved family members, reads our letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer
Our Final Day Call to Action
Killed Women have sent a letter to No 10 asking the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to create an urgent prevention strategy in response to our campaign.
Please read our letter to the PM - and share our campaign posts today on your social media.
We are the bereaved families of women killed by men, we do not want any more lives lost or anyone else to feel our pain – there is no one who wants to stop violence against women and girls more than us.
Killed Women have launched ‘The VAWG Curriculum’ campaign for 2025’s 16 Days of Activism for our children and young people – so we can change what the future looks like for the better.
We know that Violence Against Women and Girls is not inevitable, and we will be working with other charities and organisations to ask people to take action to change the future for the better.
We cannot keep waiting for change, while lives are being lost and families are left shattered. We need to act NOW.