A Letter to Founding Partners
We are at a moment where conversations about Gender Bias, Mental Health and Social Harm (Social Media/ Tech) are louder than ever—and less effective than they need to be.
Misogyny is rightly recognised as harmful and unacceptable. At the same time, psychological distress—particularly among young people and men - is rising, poorly understood, and increasingly expressed through anger, withdrawal, and polarisation. Women, meanwhile, are carrying unsustainable emotional, moral, and safety burdens in both public and private life.
These are not separate problems. They are interconnected - and treating them in isolation has limited our ability to reduce harm.
This Think Tank is founded on a simple but challenging premise:
To reduce genderbased harm, unhealthy narratives towards men and women, increased mental health and suicide prevention we must understand the psychological and social conditions that produce it—and intervene earlier, smarter, and more humanely.
We are not interested in excusing harmful behaviour, nor in collapsing complex realities into ideological positions. Our commitment is to evidence, to ethics, and impact.
Working in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University and a network of researchers, practitioners, education, business and policy leaders, we aim to:
- Shift the national conversation from blame to prevention by interrogating how mental health, gender bias, and social narratives interact to produce harm, polarisation, and inequality — and how those dynamics can be disrupted.
- Bring mental health to the centre of debates on equality, violence, and social harm, where psychological distress, online dynamics, and untreated need are too often treated as secondary rather than foundational.
- Disrupt adversarial and simplistic narratives by generating rigorous, multidisciplinary evidence that reflects the lived realities of both women and men, and the systems that shape risk, behaviour, and outcomes.
- Translate evidence into action by informing policy, influencing public debate, and developing prevention-focused interventions that reduce harm before it escalates.
- Ensure that responses to misogyny, online harm, and violence are psychologically informed, inclusive, and effective, strengthening wellbeing, social cohesion, and public trust.
In December 2025 the UK government launched a comprehensive cross-government strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), with a stated goal to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and address the root causes of abuse through prevention, education, and support for survivors. The strategy prioritises embedding healthy relationships education, early intervention to challenge harmful attitudes, and reducing exposure to harmful online content, recognising that misogynistic narratives and digital harms contribute significantly to real-world violence and psychological distress.
As part of this effort, schools and educators will be equipped to educate young people about respectful relationships, parents and frontline professionals will be trained to identify warning signs, and efforts to make the UK one of the safest places for children online are underway, including measures to restrict harmful AI-generated content and work with Technology companies to block exploitative tools and behaviour online.
While these policies appropriately seek to protect women and girls - who are disproportionately affected - we also recognise the importance of a truly inclusive national response that addresses the impact of violence, bias and online harm on men and boys. Our Think Tank’s work aligns with government commitments in prevention, early intervention, and tackling social narratives precisely because we believe that understanding and reducing social harms and bias affecting all genders will strengthen the effectiveness of public policy.
By examining how mental health, social narratives and bias interact across populations, we can contribute evidence that enhances existing strategies, supports trauma-informed responses, and ensures that interventions are effective for everyone who experiences or perpetrates harm. This approach honours the government’s intent to build safer communities while expanding the conversation to include the wellbeing and experiences of men and boys - helping to create strategies that reduce victimisation, challenge harmful norms, and promote healthier digital and offline cultures for all.
This Think Tank exists to close that gap between knowledge and action.
We invite you to join us as a Founding Partner in building a foundation that does more than comment on social change—one that helps create it.
We are interested in partnering with Mental Health Charities, Research Institutes, Education Leaders, Public Health, NHS Trusts, Government (Local, Central, Combined Authorities), Policy Makers, Change Agents, Business Leaders and Tech Companies.
With appreciation and an invitation to collaborate,
Fiona McGonigle
Founder, We Are GLOBAL Women
Founder, The Gender Bias, Mental Health & Social Harm Think Tank
