Ring the Bell
Overview
Now is the time to end violence against women.
On March 8, with launch events worldwide, Breakthrough took Ring the Bell (Bell Bajao) global.
One million men. One million promises calls on men worldwide to promise to take concrete action to end violence against women.
Men and women together have responded with outrage to recent dramatic acts of violence from Delhi to Cairo to Steubenville. We know that effective laws, courts, and cops are essential -- but they are not enough. We need individual and community action to challenge the habits and norms that perpetuate violence.
Men, their allies, and their actions, can create that global tipping point, today.
Together with our partners in South Africa, Brazil, Sweden, and more, we will secure one million promises to help do just that.
WATCH the leading and celebrity men who have already vowed to take action.
With men as leaders and partners, we can build a world in which women are safe -- and in which all of us live freely, fully, and without fear.
Together we can build a safer world.
Global launch event in New York City featuring Sir Patrick Stewart:
Our Partners
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Bortom Nigella – våld mot kvinnor en pandemi
article | Posted: 06/28/2013Du kanske har sett de chockerande bilderna på kändiskocken Nigella Lawson – sittande på en restaurang med sin make Charles Saatchi, hans hand våldsamt omsluten kring hennes hals. Händelsen har gett bränsle åt en animerad debatt kring varför en sådan framgångsrik och självständig kvinna står ut med ens ett ögonblick av sådana övergrepp.
Violence Against Women: We’re Asking Men the Wrong Question
article | Posted: 06/26/2013We often invite men to connect to the issue of violence against women by saying, “What if were your mother? Your daughter? Your sister?” While this invitation is understandable and respectable, it’s actually the wrong question to ask.
Teach Your Children Well: Men Must Be Leaders in Changing the Culture of Abuse
article | Posted: 04/02/2013by Donald McPherson We have seen much—and much-deserved—criticism of the mainstream media coverage of the Steubenville rape verdict. Some reporters, notoriously, have focused on what “good students” the convicted young men are and what “bright futures” had been squandered by their actions. While these may have been misguided analyses of the verdict, the outrage stems […]
An Awakening in India to Scourge of Violence Against Women
article | Posted: 04/01/2013As originally aired on PBS Newshour.
Exclusive: Patrick Stewart Calls on Men to End Violence Against Women
article | Posted: 03/19/2013Many of us remember Sir Patrick Stewart on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the heroic Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise whose mission was to explore the galaxies. In real life, the dynamic 72-year-old acclaimed actor and activist has taken on his own personal mission: enlisting men in the movement to end violence against women, […]
Patrick Stewart: Men need to help end abuse
article | Posted: 03/11/2013Thank you, Captain Picard. Speaking over the weekend at an event he hosted for the Ring the Bell anti-violence campaign, the actor issued a challenge — and sounded an important call for 1 million men to make 1 million “concrete, actionable promises” to end abuse against women, the “single greatest human rights violation of our generation.” Stewart’s remarks were […]
‘Evil’ isn’t an excuse
article | Posted: 03/11/2013Zerlina Maxwell, law student and political commentator, “can’t even read” her own Facebook page because “it’s full of people wanting to rape me,” she told Salon. The reason for this outpouring of hateful online posting is that this courageous rape survivor spoke on Fox’s Hannity program and said preventing rape is about “telling men not to rape women,” not telling […]
Calling all Global CEOs — Have You Signed the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles Yet?
article | Posted: 03/11/2013The UN is putting its muscle behind changing the game for global women, and is asking companies around the world to follow suit. There has been so much talk, but so little action – around women’s leadership, gender equality, and curtailing violence against women. This year, however, efforts seem to be more serious, possibly fueled […]
Sir Patrick Stewart: ‘Violence Against Women Is Learned’
article | Posted: 03/10/2013Speaking on behalf of the Ring The Bell campaign — a movement that calls on men and boys around the world to take a stand and make a promise to act to end violence against women — Sir Patrick Stewart, a consistent and powerful activist for equality, spoke eloquently about what violence against women looks like, and what it […]
One million men, one million promises to help end gender-based violence
article | Posted: 03/08/2013Our own Zerlina is still getting rape threats from conservatives who apparently think suggesting men can end sexual violence is the very height of stupidity. Meanwhile–over in the reality-based community–a global movement of men doing just that is growing. Launched today by Breakthrough, in partnership with UN Women and grassroots groups from South Africa to Malaysia, the “Ring the Bell” campaign is […]
Men Promising to Stop Violence Against Women Will Be a Global Tipping Point
article | Posted: 03/08/2013We have struggled to end violence against women for as long as any of us can remember. But today — finally — I believe we stand at a global tipping point. As we all know, series of increasingly shocking — and increasingly visible — acts of violence from Delhi to Cairo and from Bredasdorp, South […]
Sir Patrick Stewart calls on ’1 million men’ to end to violence against women
article | Posted: 03/08/2013NEW YORK—Sir Patrick Stewart stood in the center of the Diplomat Ballroom at the UN Hotel here on Friday, pounding his fist methodically against a podium, each thump punctuated with a number (“One … two … three …”) until he got to nine. “Every nine seconds in the United States a woman is assaulted or […]
To stem violence against women, men must step up
article | Posted: 03/07/2013Editor’s note: Don McPherson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, a feminist and social justice educator. Follow him on Twitter, @donmcpherson. (CNN) – Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is the 2012 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. Why? In large part because of Witten’s tireless commitment to ending domestic violence. As a former professional […]
Kumi Naidoo promises to help end violence against women
video | Posted: 03/01/2013Kumi Naidoo, International Executive Director of Greenpeace, promises to help end violence against women. Ring the Bell: One million men. One million promises calls on men worldwide to promise to take concrete action to end violence against women.
Admirable: Successful ‘Ring The Bell’ Campaign Goes Global
article | Posted: 02/22/2013You may not have heard about Breakthrough, but chances are, if you are a living in India, you have heard of the “Ring the Bell” or “Bell Bajao” campaign where 130 million people learned how men can stand up against domestic violence. You can read a case study about “Bell Bajao” here. The campaign has […]
Respect is the First Step
article | Posted: 01/10/2013The recent gang rape and murder in Delhi has brought unprecedented attention to the scale of violence against women in India. How can we use this opportunity to make concrete gains for women’s safety and human rights? We’ve been heartened to see young men joining young women on the streets demanding change. The public has […]
Make Your Promise Today
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Click here to make your promise to #RingTheBell to end violence against women.
How to Ring the Bell
- Teach kids who look up to you that strong men respect women—and walk the talk.
- Challenge friends or Internet commenters who disrespect women or girls.
- Interrupt violence by causing a distraction or finding an excuse to ring the doorbell.
- Click here for more examples of how you can Ring the Bell.