Action Breaks Silence

What Action Breaks Silence does

Action Breaks Silence (legal entity: Actions Breaks Silence Ltd; charity number 1158744, company number 08686204) is a non-profit educational charity registered in England and Wales, founded in July 2013 by survivor and MA-qualified practitioner Debi Steven. The charity addresses violence against women and girls (VAWG) by delivering prevention education and empowerment self-defence workshops to schools, corporate clients, and community organisations. Its core offering is the Action Breaks Silence Community Intervention, a multi-pronged framework grounded in Social Norms and Active Bystander Theories, comprising five interconnected programmes: the Train-the-Trainer Programme, the Primary Schools Programme to end VAWG (delivered via the Whole Schools Approach originally co-developed with the AVA Project), the Youth Ambassador Programme, the Empowerment Through Self-Defence Workshop (offered at basic, Level 2, youth/parent, mixed gender, corporate, and community tiers), and the Undefining Masculinity Workshop. The Youth Ambassador Programme is supported by a proprietary eLearning portal (yap.actionbreakssilence.org) built on Svelte, providing self-serve digital upskilling.

The business model is donation-dependent with diversified revenue streams. The organisation receives no government funding and instead draws on individual donations (including legacy gifts), corporate partnerships (notably FTI Consulting as 2016-2017 Charity of the Year raising £32,000+), freemium workshop delivery to state schools in the top 20% most deprived UK areas, fee-based workshops for private schools and corporates, and Trainer-of-Trainers licensing to international NGO partners. Channel distribution is direct: workshops are delivered in-person by ABS trainers in schools, corporates, and community venues, with international scaling via NGO partnership affiliates in India (the co-founded Action Breaks Silence Foundation) and South Africa (Diepsloot, Soweto, Pretoria).

Name

Action Breaks Silence

Legal name

Actions Breaks Silence Ltd

Website

https://actionbreakssilence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Action Breaks Silence is a UK-based educational charity delivering prevention education and empowerment self-defence programmes addressing violence against women and girls, operating in schools, corporates, and community settings across the UK, India, and South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

VAWG Prevention Education and Empowerment Self-Defence Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH), Restorative Practices, Conflict Resolution & Discipline Alternatives (EDAKAMAG), Dropout Prevention, Re-Engagement & Truancy Intervention Programs (EDAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Violence prevention education
• Self-defence training
• Safeguarding workshops
• Gender equality education
• Youth empowerment programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Wembley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Action Breaks Silence receives no government funding and relies on donations from individuals, corporate supporters, and partners who share core principles of Equality, Respect and Inclusivity. The organisation runs DIY fundraising workshops and accepts legacy gifts.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnerships provide funding, employee volunteering opportunities, team-building activities, and help companies meet corporate responsibility objectives. FTI Consulting raised over £32,000 as Charity of the Year partner (2016-2017).
3. NGO Partnerships and Trainer of Trainers Programme: International NGO partnerships where ABS trains local instructors to deliver programmes, extending reach and ensuring sustainability through a Trainer of Trainers model.
4. Workshop Fees: Workshops are free for state schools operating within the top 20% most deprived areas in the UK's indices of deprivation. Private schools and corporates pay for workshop delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Action Breaks Silence is a UK educational charity that delivers violence-against-women-and-girls (VAWG) prevention education and empowerment self-defence workshops in schools, colleges, corporates, and communities. Core deliverable programmes include the Youth Ambassador Programme (YAP) with its eLearning peer-education platform, Train-the-Trainer licensing, Undefining Masculinity workshops, and tailored corporate and community self-defence workshops delivered across the UK and India.

Product overview

Action Breaks Silence is an educational charity delivering a multi-pronged community intervention to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). The core offering consists of five interconnected programmes: (1) the Train-the-Trainer Programme that upskills young adults to become programme deliverers, (2) the Primary Schools Programme to end VAWG using a whole-school approach, (3) the Youth Ambassador Programme (YAP) with an associated eLearning portal, (4) Empowerment Through Self-Defence Workshops offered at multiple levels (basic, Level 2, youth/parent, mixed gender, corporate, and community variants), and (5) the Undefining Masculinity Workshop for promoting healthy masculinity. These programmes are underpinned by downloadable Theory of Change resources and are delivered through schools, corporates, and community settings with targeted strategies addressing gender inequality and toxic masculinity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Ambassador Programme (YAP) A peer-education programme that trains young people to act as Youth Ambassadors delivering violence-prevention messaging, supported by an associated eLearning portal that enables remote learning and scale-up of peer education. Targeted at schools, colleges, and youth organisations working with adolescents.
• Empowerment Self-Defence Workshops The charity's flagship in-person training offering, teaching practical physical and verbal self-defence skills rooted in a trauma-informed, survivor-led approach. Delivered to girls, women, and young people in schools, colleges, corporate workplaces, and community settings across the UK, with specialist variants tailored to different audiences and risk profiles.
• Train-the-Trainer Programme A licensed instructor-development programme that trains partner staff and external instructors to deliver Action Breaks Silence's self-defence and violence-prevention curriculum. Used to scale delivery through partner organisations in the UK and internationally, including collaborations with the Delhi Police and Indian state governments.
• Undefining Masculinity Workshops A specialist workshop series aimed at boys and men that explores masculinity, consent, and bystander responsibility as part of violence prevention. Delivered in schools, community groups, and corporate settings as a complement to the women's and girls' empowerment workshops.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,500 women and girls taught through Empowerment through Self-Defence workshops in Mumbai, India (2014)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FTI ConsultingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016FTI Consulting named ABS as their Charity of the Year partner for 2016-2017. Staff raised over £32,000 for ABS, the most they had ever raised for a charity. The partnership included employee volunteering and fundraising activities.
• CFS Wills LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerABS partnered with CFS Wills Limited for will-making services. CFS Wills Direct software allows users to create simple wills in 15 minutes. CFS Wills Limited donates 50% of any profit from users writing wills through the partnership to Action Breaks Silence.
• Guildford HSminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• City Bridge FoundationcoreOthersListed as a key supporter/funder of Action Breaks Silence.
• London YouthminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• Living Wage FoundationminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• PeabodyminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• SkaddenminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• Debevoise & PlimptonminorOthersListed as a supporter of Action Breaks Silence.
• International NGO PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABS works with partner NGOs through the Trainer of Trainers programme. ABS trainers teach selected groups of local instructors to deliver Empowerment Through Self-Defence and Hero Empathy workshops in local schools, afterschool clubs, and community organisations. Operations confirmed in India (Action Breaks Silence Foundation), South Africa (Diepsloot, Soweto, Pretoria), and UK.
• AVA ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAction Breaks Silence uses the 'Whole Schools Approach' framework developed by the AVA Project to engage, educate and empower all members of a school community.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NIA Project: North London charity providing holistic VAWG services including education and prevention. NIA's community-based, survivor-led model and focus on disadvantaged communities is closely comparable to ABS's community delivery approach.
• White Ribbon UK: UK campaign engaging men and boys to end violence against women. White Ribbon's 'Undefining Masculinity'-adjacent focus on healthy masculinity and bystander intervention makes it a direct thematic peer competing for the same school and corporate prevention budgets.
• Imkaan: UK federation supporting Black and minoritised women survivors of VAWG. Imkaan overlaps with ABS's community-led, survivor-involved delivery model and serves comparable at-risk community segments, particularly in London.
• Southall Black Sisters: Long-standing London charity providing advocacy, education, and campaigning on VAWG in Black and minoritised communities. Shares with ABS a focus on empowerment, survivor-led approaches, and London-based community delivery.
• AVA (Against Violence & Abuse): UK charity providing training, resources, and the 'Whole Schools Approach' framework that ABS itself references. AVA is both a peer and a methodology source, competing for the same prevention training contracts with schools and local authorities.
• Tender: UK charity delivering preventative education in schools to address sexual violence and domestic abuse. Tender is the closest direct peer — both run whole-school VAWG prevention programmes with age-appropriate curricula and trainer networks, competing for the same school procurement budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Aid: The UK's largest domestic abuse federation, running prevention education alongside refuge services. Women's Aid is a broader incumbent with statutory funding and policy influence that ABS lacks, but operates overlapping VAWG prevention education programmes in schools and communities.
• Refuge: Major UK VAWG charity providing specialist services including refuge accommodation, advocacy, and education. Refuge overlaps with ABS on the preventative education and awareness side but operates at much greater scale with government and statutory funding.
• Respect: UK charity working with perpetrators, survivors, and young people around domestic abuse. Respect's youth-focused behaviour-change work intersects with ABS's school programmes, particularly around harmful sexual behaviour and healthy relationships education.
• SafeLives: UK charity focused on ending domestic abuse with training, research, and accreditation programmes for professionals. SafeLives overlaps with ABS on training delivery and prevention advocacy, but operates primarily at a professional/practitioner level rather than direct school delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/action-breaks-silence-org

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Action Breaks Silence