Campaign aimed at addressing and preventing violence against women and girls delivered by Eglinton group

A campaign aimed at addressing and preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG) is visible on public transport operating in Derry and surrounding areas thanks to funding secured through the Faughan Local Growth Partnership, and delivered by Eglinton Community Centre.

The 'Power to Change' campaign was launched in January 2025, funded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Department of Justice and The Executive Office. It is specifically targeted towards men and boys to foster behavioural change and encourage ‘active bystander’ intervention. It urges men and boys to check and change their behaviours towards women and girls, to step away from negative attitudes, challenge their friends and have the confidence to step in safely to put a stop to behaviour that might escalate and put their friends at risk later of offending. 

A series of graphics and four scenario-based videos have been showcased on social media through targeted advertisements aimed at men and boys as part of the campaign launch. It has also been visible across the region on buses, in washrooms of hospitality venues, digital posters and billboards.

Some of this will now be displayed on the inside and outside of Translink buses - on the back of the bus driver's panel and on the sides -  operating throughout the city and surrounding areas made possible by an initiative by Eglinton Community Centre.

Funded through The Executive Office’s EVAWG Local Change Fund - administered by Derry City & Strabane District Council - the initiative will run from March 9 to 23 on routes including Eglinton, Donemana, Claudy, Newbuildings, Ballykelly, Limavady, Dungiven and Strabane. 

Manager of Eglinton Community Centre, Debbie Caulfield believes advertising the 'Power to Change' campaign on public transport "will raise awareness and help to change attitudes".

"This campaign is all about bystanders, men and boys who may see or hear something and want to speak up," says Debbie.

"Hopefully it will encourage them to do so and to be able to speak up. I want to thank Derry City & Strabane District Council for the funding and also partner organisations across the city who are working on this issue in many ways, providing confidence building, classes and courses on healthy relationships and also a range of keep fit and self-defence classes for women."

Derry City & Strabane Chief Inspector Cherith Craig said: "Violence against women and girls is a community issue. It is a priority for policing to tackle this issue at its root causes, with wider public and women’s organisations calling for more intervention to address misogynistic behaviour and cultures that have escalated in the past to more serious situations.

"Using public transport to highlight this is an impactful way of reaching people and raising awareness, which is so important. I hope when people see the graphics and messaging, men and boys in particular, they take a moment to think about this issue, any role they play and how important it is and what they can do to make a difference." 

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Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Ruairí McHugh, said: "The ‘Power to Change’ campaign delivers a clear and important message – that men and boys have a vital role to play in challenging harmful attitudes and behaviours and in supporting a culture of respect and equality."

Mayor McHugh added: “As a Council, we are committed to working alongside statutory, community and voluntary partners to prevent violence before it happens, to promote healthy relationships and to support those affected. By bringing this campaign onto public transport across Derry, Strabane and the wider district, we are ensuring that its message reaches right into the heart of our communities.”

Chair of the Derry and Strabane Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) Alderman Keith Kerrigan says funding provided by Derry and Strabane PCSP towards the initiative is part of a wider programme of activity, including personal protection classes, to empower women and girls. Other activity included a changing attitudes programme, which drew male participation, designed to create ‘a greater understanding of healthy relationships including the impact of coercive/financial control and the influence of social media in forming attitudes towards women’. 

Alderman Kerrigan added: “All of this feeds into what the Power to Change campaign is aimed at achieving, to ensure that people are more aware of what small steps they can take to challenge attitudes/behaviours going forward.”