People gathered outside Wokingham town hall last week to support this year’s White Ribbon 16 days of activism.
White Ribbon is a global movement that encourages men and boys to speak out against violence towards women and girls.
Residents lit candles and listened to speakers during a vigil, reflecting the 2025 White Ribbon theme, ‘We Speak Up’.
Among the speakers was Vickie Robertson, CEO of Thames Valley-based charity Kaleidoscopic UK, which has supported survivors of domestic abuse since 2019.
She said: “Thank you to everyone who stood with us in Wokingham to honour all those impacted by gender-based violence.
“Together we created space for reflection and to highlight the voices of those too often silenced.
“In the spirit of this year’s theme, ‘We Speak Up’, your presence showed that when we rise together, change becomes possible.”
The White Ribbon movement began in Canada in 1991, following a 1989 mass shooting in Montreal in which 14 women were killed. The vigil included a minute’s silence in memory of UK women and girls killed by men and boys in the past year.
The vigil was organised by Kaleidoscopic UK and Wokingham town council. The final day of the campaign was on International Human Rights Day, December 10.
