Skip to content

Railway murals ask how men can stand up for women

Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands
WMR/LNR (L-R) Emily Kaye (illustrator), Sarah Davison (Heart of England Community Rail Partnership), Leyla Buran (White Ribbon UK) and Rebecca Stone (WMR). They are standing in front of a mural that shows five men in a line, one with a loud speaker, and asks: "How are you standing against men's violence towards women and girls?"WMR/LNR
The murals were designed by Emily Kaye (left) in coordination with Heart of England Community Rail Partnership, White Ribbon UK and WMR (represented L-R by Sarah Davison, Leyla Buran and Rebecca Stone).

Murals asking what men can do to tackle violence against women and girls have been put up at five railway stations in Birmingham and Coventry.

The stations together serve more than 1.8m passengers a year and the artworks are visible from the trains passing through.

Created by Midlands artist Emily Kaye, they were developed for West Midlands Railway (WMR) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR).

The murals ask how men can intervene in situations including online discussions, whether they speak up to encourage positive attitudes, if they actively stand up against male violence, and whether they do enough.

WMR/LNR A mural shows a man kneeling next to a mobile phone screen and pushing his hand against one scribbled-out message, in a gesture that says it is unacceptable.WMR/LNR
The idea was to spark thoughts and change actions, Lynne Elliott said

One artwork asks the question: "Which man are you online?"

It gives several options as an answer – the man who started the thread, forwarded the photo, laughed, lurked, or made the images, or the man who reported it.

WMR/LNR A mural shows a line of men, each one with a different response to a thread posted online. It asks: "Which man are you online and when won't you be able to laugh it off?"WMR/LNR
The artworks were developed with antiviolence charity White Ribbon UK

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said the rail operators' charity partner was White Ribbon UK, which advocates against violence towards women and girls, with a three-year action plan in place to raise awareness of the charity's work.

WMR/LNR A mural shows a man with a toothbrush, looking in a mirror. It asks: "Am I doing enough?" The man thinks he could do more and the dog next to him agrees.WMR/LNR
Many "brilliant, inspiring men" were already working for an equal world, the charity said

Lynne Elliott, chief executive of White Ribbon UK, said: "By placing these artworks where thousands pass through daily, we're encouraging people, especially men, to pause, reflect, and consider the steps they can take."

She said the charity was already working with many "brilliant, inspiring men", who were working to build a world where everyone was equal, safe and respected, adding: "We want more to join in."

The artworks, commissioned by Heart of England Community Rail Partnership, can be seen at Tile Hill, Adderley Park, Hampton-in-Arden, Marston Green and Stechford stations.

WMR/LNR A mural shows two men talking with a boy nearby, listening. It asks the question: "What are you doing to encourage positive attitudes towards women and girls?"WMR/LNR

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

More on this story
Related internet links