August 18, 2026 - 168 views
Twenty men from across Wales are being equipped to help create safer communities for women and girls after completing specialist training through the Welsh Government’s Sound campaign.
The men already work closely with young people and have been trained to have conversations about harmful behaviour, healthy relationships and positive masculinity.
The training, delivered in partnership with White Ribbon, is designed to help men recognise and challenge attitudes and behaviours which can contribute to violence against women and girls.
Those taking part are now using what they have learned in their own communities, helping young men and boys develop greater respect, self-reflection and understanding of healthy relationships.
One of those inspired by the programme is Cardiff musician James Minas, who went on to establish Bros B4 Lows – a support group for men working in the music community.
The initiative reflects a wider shift in the approach to tackling violence against women and girls in Wales, with an increasing emphasis on prevention and changing attitudes before harmful behaviour escalates.
The Welsh Government’s Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence strategy identifies early intervention and prevention as priorities. It also calls for greater awareness among children, young people and adults of safe, equal and healthy relationships.
The strategy also recognises that tackling violence cannot simply be about responding after an incident has taken place. It says harmful attitudes, including misogyny and damaging ideas about masculinity, can help create an environment in which abusive behaviour becomes normalised.
The Sound campaign was launched as part of that preventative approach. Its public campaign has previously focused on issues including catcalling, physical intimidation and inappropriate touching in public spaces, while encouraging men to consider their own behaviour and how they can act as allies.
The Welsh Government has said engaging men and boys is an important part of achieving wider cultural change. Its communications strategy describes the involvement of men and boys as integral to efforts to de-normalise violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The latest training comes as Wales prepares for the next phase of its national approach to tackling violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. The current Welsh strategy runs to 2026, with the National Adviser’s 2026-27 plan stating that a new Welsh strategy will be developed under the new Welsh Government.
The National Adviser has said Wales still has a considerable way to go before it can achieve the ambition of becoming “the safest place to be a woman in Europe”, while stressing the need for a whole-system approach involving prevention, protection and support.
The 20 men who have completed the Sound training are therefore being positioned as part of that preventative effort – taking conversations about respect, relationships and masculinity beyond formal training and into the communities and groups where they already have influence.
The aim is that by challenging harmful attitudes among men and boys at an early stage, those conversations can contribute to longer-term cultural change and safer environments for women and girls across Wales.
