No Excuses - White Ribbon Day, 2025
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By Helena Barlow
The 25th November 2025 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and marks the beginning of 16 days of activism led by UNITE and entitled #No Excuses, which concludes on 10th December 2025 (International Human Rights Day).
My PhD research journey into ex-partner stalking began in 2021, whereby I interviewed women with current or previous experience to gain an understanding of their lived experiences at the point of interactions with agencies for support. I also interviewed practitioners who were employed in related fields and likely to encounter women seeking support.
In all, 15 women and 8 practitioners gave up their time to share their stories. These were raw, powerful and charged with emotion. Whilst the narrative within society may lead to the belief that a certain type of individual is vulnerable enough to attract abuse and stalking, the findings from these interviews fully disputed this. To the contrary, the women demonstrated strength, resilience, and a strong drive to move forward with their lives and support others who may encounter similar experiences in the future.
The research also highlighted that abuse and stalking can affect anyone, including those employed within professional occupations, whereby they support others, and those experiencing it are often reluctant to disclose and seek help for many years through fear of stigma and blame.
So, to conclude, this blog is to highlight to anyone living through abuse and stalking, regardless of your occupation or individual circumstances, you are not alone, and there are many other women who have also lived through this, sought support and are now moving on with their lives free from fear, violence and abuse.
Sign up to the Make the White Ribbon Promise — White Ribbon UK
Please see below some agencies available:
Live Fear Free Helpline: 0808 2000 247
National Stalking Helpline | Suzy Lamplugh Trust 0808 802 0300
Paladin – National Stalking Advocacy Service 0203 866 4107
Domestic Abuse Safety Unit North Wales 0333 360 0483 out of hours: 0808 80 10 800
Always call 999 in an emergency.
Anyone interested in hearing more about my research can contact me at:
Helena Barlow PhD Candidate and Lecturer in Social Work – Helena.barlow@wrexham.ac.uk