Key Points
- Redbridge London Borough Council’s ‘This Has To Stop’ campaign has won the prestigious Campaign of the Year at the 2025 LGC Awards.
- The campaign is a multi-year initiative targeting violence against women and girls (VAWG) through behaviour change, education, and enforcement.
- Key achievements include a 21% reduction in harassment, training over 500 bystanders, and educating more than 100,000 people via TikTok.
- Redbridge introduced the UK’s first Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for sexual harassment, making sexist street harassment an offence punishable by fines.
- The campaign is co-produced with the community, includes school-based education, and promotes male allyship and intervention skills.
- The latest phase, ‘Don’t Stand By, Step In’, empowers bystanders to intervene safely and support victims of harassment.
- The campaign’s success has inspired councils nationwide and established Redbridge as a leading model for addressing sexist violence.
- Highly commended in the same category was Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Little Heroes’ campaign, with other shortlisted entries from Barnet, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Sheffield, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, and Westminster councils.
Redbridge London Borough Council’s landmark ‘This Has To Stop’ campaign has been named Campaign of the Year at the 2025 Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards, in recognition of its innovative, evidence-based approach to tackling violence against women and girls.
What Is the ‘This Has To Stop’ Campaign and Why Did It Win?
As reported by the LGC Awards 2025 winners list, Redbridge LBC’s ‘This Has To Stop’ campaign stood out among a strong field for its comprehensive, multi-year strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG). According to the LGC Awards editorial team, the campaign was lauded for its “behaviour change, education, and enforcement” approach, which has delivered measurable results and inspired similar initiatives nationwide.
The campaign, launched in 2023 by Redbridge Council in partnership with Social Engine, was developed in response to a series of high-profile incidents and ongoing concerns about women’s safety in the borough. The initiative builds on the recommendations of the Community Crime Commission, which identified increasing the safety of women and girls as a top priority for Redbridge.
How Does the Campaign Address Violence Against Women and Girls?
As detailed by the Community Crime Commission and Redbridge Council’s official communications, ‘This Has To Stop’ is informed by the lived experiences of local women and supported by research into effective violence prevention strategies. The campaign encompasses a broad range of activities delivered across council departments and in collaboration with schools, community groups, and businesses.
Key components include:
- Behaviour Change: Challenging harmful social norms that enable harassment and violence.
- Education: Delivering school programmes and public education campaigns, including a TikTok outreach that reached over 100,000 people.
- Enforcement: Introducing new legal measures, such as the UK’s first Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) specifically targeting sexual harassment, making behaviours like catcalling and up-skirting punishable by fines.
What Are the Measurable Impacts of ‘This Has To Stop’?
As reported by the LGC Awards editorial team, the campaign has achieved significant outcomes since its launch:
- 21% reduction in harassment reported in targeted areas.
- Over 500 bystanders trained in intervention techniques.
- More than 100,000 people educated via TikTok and other digital platforms.
- Introduction of the UK’s first PSPO for sexual harassment, setting a legal precedent and raising awareness across the borough.
These results were achieved through a combination of community engagement, targeted communications, and partnership working with local police and enforcement officers.
What Is the Legal Definition of Sexual Harassment and How Is It Enforced in Redbridge?
According to the Redbridge Community Crime Commission, sexual harassment is defined as “unwanted sexual behaviour towards another person that makes them feel upset, scared, offended or humiliated”. The council’s innovative use of PSPOs means that actions such as catcalling, making unwanted or suggestive comments, up-skirting, and down-blousing are now offences in Redbridge, punishable by fines and, in some cases, prosecution.
Local police and enforcement officers are prominently featured in campaign materials, reinforcing the message that sexist harassment is not tolerated and that perpetrators will face consequences.
How Does the ‘Don’t Stand By, Step In’ Initiative Empower Bystanders?
As reported by Redbridge Council’s official news release, the latest phase of the campaign, ‘Don’t Stand By, Step In’, was launched in February 2024 to encourage proactive bystander intervention. Feedback from the community indicated that many witnesses to harassment were unsure how to respond or feared making the situation worse.
The initiative offers practical guidance through three key steps:
- Distract the perpetrator: Simple actions such as asking for directions or making conversation to interrupt the behaviour.
- Support the victim: Making eye contact, checking if the person is okay, or offering to accompany them to safety.
- Get help: Involving others nearby, seeking assistance from transport or council staff, or calling emergency services if necessary.
By equipping residents with these tools, the council aims to foster a culture where everyone feels responsible for women’s safety in public spaces.
What Role Did Community Engagement and Behavioural Insights Play?
The campaign’s success is underpinned by extensive community engagement and the application of behavioural insights, as detailed in a report by Social Engine. Surveys conducted among men who solicit sex and the wider community informed the design of interventions, highlighting the importance of increasing the perceived risks of perpetration and reducing tolerance for anti-social behaviour5.
Key interventions included:
- Community art projects: Displaying faces of local residents to reinforce community identity and reduce anonymity for potential offenders.
- Audio disruption: Using CCTV-linked voice messages to challenge inappropriate behaviour in real-time.
- Large format screens: Broadcasting messages about surveillance and community cohesion to deter would-be perpetrators.
These measures were evaluated through a combination of surveys, behavioural observations, and feedback from residents, demonstrating improvements in local pride, reduced tolerance for anti-social behaviour, and a decline in the number of men seeking to buy sex in targeted areas.
How Has the Campaign Influenced Policy and Inspired Other Councils?
As highlighted by the LGC Awards and the campaign’s documentation, ‘This Has To Stop’ has set a new standard for local authority action on VAWG. Its success in Redbridge has prompted interest from councils across the country, with several adopting similar approaches to address sexist violence and harassment in their own communities.
The campaign’s combination of legal innovation, community co-production, and evidence-based interventions has established Redbridge as a national leader in this field.
Who Were the Other Finalists and What Were Their Campaigns About?
According to the official LGC Awards 2025 winners list, the Campaign of the Year category featured a diverse range of entries addressing key social issues:
- Highly Commended: Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Little Heroes’ campaign, which tackled declining school attendance through positive reinforcement and engagement, resulting in a 2.1% increase in attendance.
- Shortlisted: Barnet LBC’s ‘Money Worries?’ campaign, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CA’s ‘The Tiger Pass’, Sheffield City Council’s ‘It is Time to Talk about Smoking and Mental Health’, Southwark LBC’s ‘Securing the Future of Council Housing’, and others.
Each campaign was recognised for its innovative approach and measurable impact in its respective area.
What Is Next for ‘This Has To Stop’?
Redbridge Council has completed its pilot year of the campaign and is now working on evaluating and expanding its activities for 2024/2025. The council remains committed to transforming the daily experiences of women and girls in the borough, with ongoing plans for further education, enforcement, and community engagement initiatives.
