The campaign sets out to encourage men and boys to play their part in the societal change that will help end violence against women and girls.

The North Down MLA has said: “Statistics have demonstrated that the vast majority of harassment, abuse, intimidation and violence perpetrated against women and girls in Northern Ireland is done so at the hands of men.

“Women and girls deserve no less than to feel safe going about their lives here and to be protected from abuse and harassment. To achieve that, we need a whole-society approach to tackling gender-based violence, and to empower men to reflect on their role in that process.

“With that in mind, this new campaign ‘The Power to Change’, which aims to reach out to men and boys about challenging harmful attitudes and the behaviours which arise from them, as well as how to safely intervene and call out their peers, couldn’t come a moment too soon. I want to commend the Justice Minister and her department for their continued dedication to making Northern Ireland a safer place for women and girls.

“Everyone has their part to play in ending the insidious scourge of gender-based violence in our society. The role of men and boys is particularly crucial, and a cultural shift is needed.”