Why the charity exists,in Becky’s mother’s words

Rebecca ‘Becky’ Dykes was my daughter. She was warm, adventurous, curious about the world, and deeply committed to helping others. Working as a Policy and Programme Manager for the Department for International Development in Lebanon, she built friendships wherever she went and had a gift for making people feel seen and valued.

When Becky was killed in Beirut on 16 December 2017, my life was completely disrupted. After working in academia, the media, business and education, I had turned my hand to writing children’s books (www.janehoung.com) and was looking forward to being a grandma. Instead, I found myself constantly returning to one question: how could we honour Becky’s life in a way that could help protect others?

Becky’s Button grew from that question. Founded in Becky’s memory, the charity is built on the belief that we must do more than respond to violence after it occurs. We must do everything we can to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Through education, practical tools and early intervention, we work alongside young people, schools, universities and communities to help create a future where fewer people experience violence, abuse and harm.

Becky’s life continues to inspire this work every day. Her loss is the reason we began, but prevention is our purpose.