Women’s Equality Day 2025: Speaking Up for Women’s Rights

Today is Women’s Equality Day, a reminder of how far women have come — but also of how far we still have to go. For me, it’s not just about history, it’s about the urgent reality women face every single day.

As a former Met Police employee and now a Whistleblower, I’ve seen first-hand how policing in the UK continues to fail women — both those it is supposed to protect, and those who work within the system. Too many women experience violence, harassment, and abuse, only to find that the very institution meant to deliver justice instead silences, dismisses, or retraumatises them.

Inside policing, women who speak up about misconduct or abuse of power are often isolated or punished for telling the truth. I know this because I’ve lived it. That’s why I founded Speak Up Now UK — to stand alongside whistleblowers in policing and emergency services, so no one has to face that battle alone.

Equality cannot just be a word we celebrate once a year. Women’s rights and women’s protection must be at the heart of policing, not an afterthought. If the public are to ever trust the police again, then misogyny, abuse of power, and the silencing of truth-tellers must end.

On this Women’s Equality Day, I want to send a clear message: women’s voices matter, women’s safety matters, and women’s equality matters.

Real change will only happen when institutions like the police are held accountable — and when women, inside and outside the system, are no longer punished for demanding their rights.

This day isn’t just about celebrating progress; it’s about refusing to accept anything less than full equality. And I, for one, won’t stop speaking up until that becomes reality.

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Issy Vine

Founder, Speak Up Now UK