UK’s largest train firm supports White Ribbon Day with 1,000 free places on active bystander course

25 November 2025: On White Ribbon Day today, the UK’s largest train operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), has announced free training sessions supporting staff and empowering passengers to safely support someone who is being harassed. They will be delivered by charity Protection Approaches.

GTR’s recently expanded team of 40 Travel Safe Officers (TSOs), who work across the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink network have already gone through the training.

Now, 1,000 free spots on the courses are being made available to staff and the public.

In a national survey, 80% of people of people said they wanted to learn more about what they could do to reduce harm when they encountered harassment.

The course teaches participants how to be ‘active bystanders’ so that, if they see unacceptable behaviour on the transport network, they can lend support to the person being targeted and report it to police.

• If it’s safe to do so, be a friend to the person being targeted – ignore the perpetrator and join them. Ask if they are okay, tell them you are there to help and support, and tell them you will stay with them until they are safe.
• If that’s not possible or safe then simply making eye contact with the person targeted to show you care and they’re not alone, coupled with a discreet text to the British Transport Police on 61016 who patrol the network and can meet the train at the next stop.

See editor’s notes for the full list of principles and strategies.

Click here to read a case study of someone who went on the training and supported a female passenger on a train when drunk men began harassing her.

White Ribbon Day is a worldwide campaign to challenge sexist behaviour that can lead to violence and abuse against women and girls. Rail staff across the country are out and about, raising awareness by wearing white ribbons, speaking with passengers and handing out ‘find help’ cards, anti-drink spiking cup toppers and handbag hooks. Messages are also being displayed on the screen savers of ticket machines.

Rebecca Butler, appointed to a newly-created role as GTR Safeguarding Manager, said: “There is no place on our network for any form of abuse or harassment, and we want everyone to feel comfortable when they travel to work, see loved ones and explore the great destinations on our railway.

“Figures show that 70% of women in the UK say they have experienced sexual harassment in public. That’s why we’re not just boosting our own response to this societal challenge – we’re also helping passengers support others if it’s safe to do so.”

Andy Fearn, Co-Executive Director of Protection Approaches, said: “More and more commuters asking what they can do to help if they encounter harassment or hate targeting women and girls.

“Whether it’s an inappropriate comment in the workplace, harassment on the train, or a physical assault in the street, our Active Bystander training is proven to help people feel more confident and equipped to act safely and in ways that ensure the best outcomes for victims.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Govia Thameslink Railway on White Ribbon Day and to be providing this training for its staff and passengers. Together, this work will make our railways safer for women and girls.”

The British Transport Police are responsible for policing the network. Nationally, the British Transport Police Authority in its recent annual report recorded 5% more offences involving violence and intimidation against women and girls (from 11,466 in 2023/24 to 12,082, in 2024/25) and offences involving sexual harassment were up by 6% (from 1,832 to 1,950). This is likely to be, in part, due to efforts made to encourage more victims to report offences.

British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector for Public Protection and Vulnerability Nia Mellor said: “Making the rail network a hostile place for sexual harassment and sexual offences is a key priority for the force and we relentlessly campaign to encourage both victims and witnesses to report to us so we can take action.

“Our campaigns, including Speak Up, Interrupt, encourage bystanders to step in to make the individual being targeted feel supported and hopefully deter the offender, and to report to us as soon as possible.

“Our officers work closely with the rail industry and staff to ensure that every passenger has a safe journey. Nothing is too small to report and sexual harassment is never your fault. Save the text number 61016 in your phone today.”

GTR has funded the active bystander courses with a £30,000 grant from its Your Station, Your Community initiative – a £480,000 fund dedicated to projects which benefit the communities it serves.

To sign up, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/gtr-network-active-bystander-training-4561903

ENDS

Notes to editors

Key principles of the active bystander training

Be safe

Your personal safety and wellbeing is a priority; your response should not put you at an unreasonable risk. Remember that direct intervention is rarely the only option you have – if direct intervention is not safe, think about what else you can do.

De-escalate

Your response should never aggravate the situation or do anything to put others at increased risk of harm.

Strategies for intervention:

Join the person targeted (be their friend)

A powerful intervention strategy is to join the targeted person, perhaps by sitting with them, standing with them or by letting them know you are there for them. If you don’t know the targeted person, make sure you introduce yourself, ask if they are okay, tell them you are there to help and support if they want you to, and tell them you will stay with them until they are safe.

Challenge the perpetrator

Remember that in situations where there is risk of violence, directly engaging the perpetrator may not be the best option. However, in situations where you do not feel at risk, it may be right to call out negative behaviour. You should be polite and remember that sometimes a person does not know they are being offensive. Don’t aggravate the situation, remain calm and state why something has offended you or may offend somebody else. It can be helpful to ask questions, “why are you saying/doing that?”, “do you know how hurtful that is?”. Stick to exactly what has happened, don’t exaggerate. Often it is helpful to use “I feel” statements.

Distract the perpetrator

If neither joining the targeted person or challenging the perpetrator seems appropriate or safe, perhaps you can interrupt in another way. Start a conversation with the perpetrator to allow their potential target to move away or have friends intervene. Perhaps come up with an idea to get the targeted person out of the situation – tell them they need to take a call, or you need to speak to them; any excuse to get them away to safety. Alternatively, try distracting, or redirecting the situation.

Ask for help

There is safety in numbers; sometimes others are looking for permission to get involved. Ask others around you to help you to intervene, e.g. “I think that person is in trouble, will you join me to check they are okay?”. If you don’t feel able to do anything, look for people in positions of authority who can help: the shop keeper, bus driver, teacher, bartender, security guard, etc.

Show solidarity

Sometimes you aren’t able to do anything to stop an attack happening, perhaps because it isn’t safe or because it happens too quickly. In these instances, showing solidarity with the person who has been harmed is vital. Ask them if they are okay, see if there’s anything you can do to help them. Make sure they know you think what happened to them is unacceptable. For many who have been targeted the sense that all witnesses agreed with the perpetrators can add to the harms of an attack.

Document evidence

Capturing or documenting evidence of the harassment or violence can help ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. This could mean taking phone numbers from other witnesses, noting car or bus numberplates, or a train carriage number. Only record on a mobile phone if you are certain that it will not escalate the situation and never post footage from a mobile phone on social media without the permission of the person who has been harmed to do so.

Safety on the railway

The training forms part of GTR’s ongoing commitment to the safety and wellbeing of its passengers and staff, following on from the £2.5 million Antisocial Behaviour Improvement Plan announced last year (see press release).

• Rolling out over 1,500 new Body Worn Video cameras to frontline staff
• Doubling the number of Travel Safe Officers across the network
• Developing an education programme for schools
• Improving training and aftercare so staff feel supported
• Hiring more staff in safety division
• Working closer with policing and prosecutions teams to remove offenders from the railway

GTR recently created a dedicated safeguarding role. GTR previously employed a Suicide Prevention Manager, the first person to be appointed to this position across the UK rail network. This role has now been broadened in scope to encompass safeguarding of all passengers and staff. Read about GTR’s new Safeguarding Manager here.

GTR’s Travel Safe Officers along with GTR’s Rail Enforcement Officers supplement patrols by the British Transport Police on stations and trains across the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink network.