The university’s iconic Trent Building will be lit in orange on Friday 25 November 2022 as part of the United Nations 16 days of activism against gender-based violence – taking part from 25 November to 10 December 2022.

Trent Building will be joined by a number of organisations across Nottingham lighting up buildings in orange including both the City and County Council Houses, Nottingham Playhouse, Green’s Windmill and Wollaton Hall.

The global theme set by the UN Secretary General’s UNiTE campaign is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.

Five years ago, the #MeToo movement, founded by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, exploded and sparked global mobilization creating a moment of urgency in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls.

Since then, unprecedented awareness and momentum have been created thanks to the relentless work of grassroots activists, women’s human rights defenders and survivor advocates worldwide to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

At the same time, there has been a rise in anti-rights movements, including anti-feminist groups, resulting in shrinking space for civil society, a backlash against women’s rights organisations and a rise in attacks against women human rights defenders and activists.

Supporting and investing in strong, autonomous women’s rights organisations and feminist movements is key to ending violence against women and girls.

Our support is part of the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment, supporting our community’s mental and physical wellbeing and prioritising the health, safety and security of our staff and students.

Visit our Vision: Research impact pages to read more about our research into misogyny against women and girls.

You can also read a blog by former PVC for EDI and People, Professor Sarah Sharples called Tackling misogyny, harassment and violence against women or take a look at our joint work to help protect women and girls by producing practical resource materials that are now freely available for general use.