The Right to Move

On the day the clocks go back (27th October), UN Women UK launched the Right to Move campaign, with support from UM and OPX. A movement that empowers the public to come together and move together, to help women feel safer as the days get darker and the nights get longer.

The Right to Move campaign is an invitation for people of all genders to support women’s right to move. The campaign asks bystanders to do three simple things. Stop, Support, Report:

Stop and offer your help (focus on the person not the perpetrator)

Support the person to safety (check what would make them feel safe, walk them to the bus/train, call a taxi, wait with them until a friend arrives)

Report it only if they want to (this could be: Calling 999, Text British Transport Police on 61016 or to the security or management team of the event or space)

Women shouldn’t bear the responsibility to protect themselves in public spaces this winter. It’s on all of us to change our behaviour and look out for those around us by offering to #StopSupportReport. For individuals and organisations who want to get involved and learn more resources can be found at unwomenuk.org

The campaign is supported by over 20 online influencers and activists. Messaging will be heard and seen on social media, gym screens, podcast platforms, in print and on outdoor advertising from 28th October.

The media campaign was a group effort across IPG, working pro bono. UM worked closely with IPG Mediabrands' OOH specialists Rapport to source free media space across a number of out of home providers, including:

* ECN: office screens across 30 offices in key UK cities (28th Oct - 10th Nov)
* Open Media: Liverpool Central Station (28th-29th Oct)
* Outernet: Tottenham Court Road (30th Oct)
* London Lites: Premium roadside placements (28th Oct -17th Nov)
* Zoom: Gym screens across The Gym Group and Ballantyne Gyms (28th Oct - 17th Nov)
* talkSPORT: linear radio airtime and digital audio

UM and Magna worked together to get:

* Podcast pre, mid and post roll content across Hearst’s podcast portfolio
* Host reads across Runner’s World
* Print ad space in January’s edition of Runners World
* Display ads across Hearst’s non luxury portfolio (e.g., Goodhouse Keeping, Cosmo, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World)
* Podcast pre, mid and post roll formats via Acast.

UM worked with independent design and branding agency OPX to create all assets for this campaign free of charge.

Hannah Sanderson, Associate Strategy Director at UM, notes: “This is a hugely important message to get across as the nights get longer. Women shouldn’t feel that being safe as they move around is anything out of the ordinary. It should be ingrained into everyone. That’s why we chose to support UN Women UK to help them create this campaign.”

“We know that when women don’t feel safe, their movements are restricted. Their world gets smaller. And the impact of this only grows during winter. With shorter days and longer nights, women are forced to take extra protection measures to stay safe when moving through public spaces. But it shouldn’t have to be that way.” says Tabitha Morton, UN Women UK Executive Director. “This campaign is an invitation to people of all genders to support women’s Right to Move, by offering to #StopSupportReport and look out for those around us.”

95% of women don’t report sexual harassment
Almost every woman knows what it’s like to walk home with their keys between their fingers, phone in hand, glancing behind every 10 seconds. On 10th March 2021, UN Women UK released a report revealing the prevalence of sexual harassment across the UK that was shared so many times that it reached over 1 billion people online.

Over 70% of women in the UK say they’ve experienced sexual harassment in public. Only 3% of women aged 18-24 said they hadn’t experienced any of the behaviours asked about. That report was the inspiration for UN Women UK’s Safe Spaces Now programme and the Right to Move campaign.

The Right to Move campaign is part of UN Women UK’s Safe Spaces Now programme

UN Women UK’s Safe Spaces Now programme is working to create a world where women and girls feel safe in public spaces, across the whole of the UK. The programme brings together governments, local authorities, public services, transport providers, event organisers and the private sector to change the way the UK’s public spaces are set up for women.