Teesside men urged to take a stand against violence towards women and girls
It's part of White Ribbon Day
There's a direct appeal to men to play their part in helping to end violence against women and girls' in Teesside.
Today marks White Ribbon Day - with this year's theme being 'We Speak Up' if you see sexist behaviour or harassment.
There's going to be 16 days of global activism.
Lesley Storey, chief executive of My Sister's Place, which is a specialist domestic abuse support service in Middlesbrough, said: "Violence against women and girls doesn't occur in isolation. It's rooted in inequality, it's sustained by silence, and it's too often enabled by systems that fail to protect women and hold perpetrators to account.
"Violence against women and girls is ultimately built on sexism, it's ultimately a result of women not having the same position, the same state or power in society as men, and that hasn't changed.
"Although it's enshrined in law that women have protections, in practice sexism and misogyny continue and endure, and that's the very foundation on which women and children are abused.
"This isn't about being anti-men. This is about saying that men and boys have an absolute role. This is an opportunity for men who are our allies to get involved and to call out abuse, to call out sexism, and really challenge it.
"Men can do a huge amount in tackling violence against women and girls like taking a pledge to say that they'll never use abuse, if they do see it or hear it, then where it's safe to do so, they'll challenge that abuse, and they'll challenge sexism wherever they see it."