A high-profile campaign designed to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) is now being rolled out across public transport in Derry, Londonderry, and the surrounding districts.

The 'Power to Change' initiative, which first launched in January 2025 with backing from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice, and The Executive Office, is specifically focused on encouraging men and boys to challenge harmful behaviours.

The latest phase of the campaign, delivered by Eglinton Community Centre through the Faughan Local Growth Partnership, will see messaging displayed both inside and outside Translink buses from 9th to 23rd March. The advertisements will appear on bus driver panels and vehicle exteriors, covering key routes including Eglinton, Claudy, Limavady, Strabane, and Dungiven.

The campaign encourages 'active bystander' intervention, urging men to step in safely when they witness negative attitudes or escalating behaviours. This messaging is supported by a dedicated website, powertochange.info/, which features interactive quizzes and tools to help the public recognise and address misogynistic cultures.

Debbie Caulfield, Manager of Eglinton Community Centre, said: "This campaign is all about bystanders, men and boys who may see or hear something and want to speak up. Hopefully it will encourage them to do so and to be able to speak up. I want to thank Derry City & Strabane District Council for the funding and also partner organisations across the city who are working on this issue in many ways, providing confidence building, classes and courses on healthy relationships and also a range of keep fit and self defence classes for women." Derry City & Strabane Chief Inspector Cherith Craig added: "Violence against women and girls is a community issue. It is a priority for policing to tackle this issue at its root causes, with wider public and women's organisations calling for more intervention to address misogynistic behaviour and cultures that have escalated in the past to more serious situations.

"Using public transport to highlight this is an impactful way of reaching people and raising awareness, which is so important. I hope when people see the graphics and messaging, men and boys in particular, they take a moment to think about this issue, any role they play and how important it is and what they can do to make a difference."

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Ruairí McHugh, commented: "The 'Power to Change' campaign delivers a clear and important message – that men and boys have a vital role to play in challenging harmful attitudes and behaviours and in supporting a culture of respect and equality.

"As a Council, we are committed to working alongside statutory, community and voluntary partners to prevent violence before it happens, to promote healthy relationships and to support those affected. By bringing this campaign onto public transport across Derry, Strabane and the wider district, we are ensuring that its message reaches right into the heart of our communities."

Alderman Keith Kerrigan, Chair of the Derry and Strabane Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), noted that the funding is part of a broader programme of activity: "All of this feeds into what the Power to Change campaign is aimed at achieving, to ensure that people are more aware of what small steps they can take to challenge attitudes/behaviours going forward."