Today’s blog is written by Associate Director (Policing) Sarah Williams and reflects on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (UN Women, 2023). This ends on December 10th (International Human Rights Day).
This annual campaign was first launched in 1991. Today, more than 30 years later, the World Health Organisation estimates that some 30% of women worldwide continue to experience violence of some sort (WHO, 2023). It can be tempting to underestimate the scale of the problem in the UK, but this would be a mistake. A lot of violence against women and girls takes the form of domestic abuse and sexual offences and sadly both are prevalent here.
2.1 million people in the UK experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023 (ONS, 2023a). That’s 2.1 million people who have been hurt in some way by those who they have (or had) close relationships with, be that a partner or a family member. And that’s before we think about those harmed in other ways – the children terrified by domestic abuse between their parents, the friends who see someone they care about slowly fade away, the parent who sees their adult child blame themselves for the abuse they suffer. Domestic abuse is a disease. It blights the lives of those it touches and ultimately it costs lives. There were 134 domestic homicides in the UK in 2022 (ONS, 2023b) and it can be a risk factor for suicide among victims (Devries et al, 2011; Keynejad, 2023).
Women are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse (ONS, 2023c), being twice as likely as men to experience it. Rape and sexual assault are also horrifyingly common. Based on data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2023d), Rape Crisis believes that 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted (Rape Crisis, 2023). Many of these rapes and assaults will take place in the context of a relationship.
So, what can we do about this persistent violence against women in the UK that continues to traumatise so many? The scale of the problem can feel overwhelming, but small steps can lead to big changes and there is something that we can all do. Voicing our support for those tackling violence against women and girls is a small step towards showing we will not tolerate it any longer. This year’s 16 Days of Activism asked people to do just that and to share the actions they are taking to tackle violence against women and girls. By spreading the word, we can share good practice, inspire others to do the same, and send a clear message to society that VAWG will not be tolerated. Let’s not stop after 16 days. Let’s keep up this vital work and continue the fight well into 2024.
UWE Bristol Policing tackling VAWG
UWE Bristol has played its own part in supporting the 16 Days of Activism initiative by being a signatory to an open letter sent by the Bristol Women’s Commission to local media (BWC, 2023). Along with many other local organisations, including UWE’s policing partner Avon & Somerset Police, the signatories have pledged to support local activism against VAWG and encourage other businesses, organisations and individuals to do the same. As part of its wider equality, diversity and inclusion approach, UWE Bristol also has its Speak Up campaign, aimed at creating an inclusive campus where everyone feels safe and where harassment, assault and discrimination will not be tolerated (UWE, 2023a and 2023b). This will continue long after the 16 days have ended.
Here on the policing programmes at UWE Bristol, we are tackling violence against women and girls through police education, making sure we include the latest developments in research, and policing and educational policy and practice. Among our recent changes we have:
- Increased awareness of controlling and coercive behaviour and the barriers victims face when trying to leave an abusive relationship.
- Included sessions on how trauma-informed practice can improve the experiences of victims and increase successful prosecutions.
- Helped students explore how evidence-based research influences police practice and how this can help protect women and girls.
- Incorporated greater awareness of the specific needs of those with protected characteristics or specific vulnerabilities.
- Enhanced our sessions on understanding the dangers faced by victims of VAWG, exploring police techniques to identify and manage risk.
- Placed a greater emphasis on digital evidence and investigative quality, and how maximising these can support evidence-led prosecutions that reduce the stress placed on victims.
- Included more scenario-based teaching where policing students learn to apply what they have learned in our realistic simulation suite (UWE, 2023c).
We aren’t going to stop there. Policing at UWE Bristol takes a continuous improvement approach to its policing provision. We aim to help produce a new generation of police officers driven to tackle VAWG – officers who know how to manage offenders effectively, who understand the needs of victims, and who can use evidence-based approaches to intervene early. In doing so we hope to improve the lives of victims and survivors and contribute to the wider fight to prevent VAWG.
Unite to tackle VAWG
If you want to help us in the fight against VAWG, please circulate your own good work or show your personal support for the 16 Days of Activism and beyond by using the following hash tags on your social media: #NoExcuse, #16Days, #EndVAWG.
References
Avon & Somerset Police (2023) Avon and Somerset Police continuing to make the region a hostile environment for perpetrators of sexual harassment [online]. Available from: Avon and Somerset Police continuing to make the region a hostile environment for perpetrators of sexual harassment | Avon and Somerset Police [Accessed 5 December 2023].
Bristol Women’s Commission (2023) Open Letter for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 2023 [online]. Available from: Open Letter for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 2023 – Bristol Women’s Commission (bristolwomenscommission.org) [accessed 27 November 2023].
Devries, K., Watts, C., Yoshimama, M., Kiss, L., Schraiber, L.B., Deyessa, N., Heise, L., Durand, J., Mbwambo, J., Jansen, H., Berhane, Y., Ellsberg, M. & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2011) Violence against women is strongly associated with suicide attempts: Evidence from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women. Social Science and Medicine [online] Vol 73(1), pp.79-86. [Accessed 5 December 2023].
Keynejad, R.C., Paphitis, S., Davidge, S., Jacob, S., & Howard, L.M. Domestic abuse is important risk factor for suicide. British Medical Journal [online] Vol 379, pp.2890-2890. [Accessed 5 December 2023].
Office for National Statistics (2023a) Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2023 [online]. Available from: Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Office for National Statistics (2023b) Homicide in England and Wales: year ending March 2022 [online]. Available from: Homicide in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) [Accessed 5th December 2023].
Office for National Statistics (2023c) Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2023 [online]. Available from: Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Office for National Statistics (2023d) Sexual offences in England and Wales overview: year ending March 2022 [online]. Available from: Sexual offences in England and Wales overview – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Rape Crisis (2023) Get Informed [online]. Available from: Get informed | Rape Crisis England & Wales [Accessed 5 December 2023].
UN Women (2023) 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence [online]. Available from: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence | UN Women – Headquarters [Accessed 25 November 2023].
University of the West of England (2023a) Equality, diversity and inclusivity [online]. Available from: Equality, diversity and inclusivity – Our values, vision and strategy | UWE Bristol [Accessed 5 December 2023].
University of the West of England (2023b) Speak Up [online]. Available from: Speak Up – Stay safe on and off campus | UWE Bristol [Accessed 5 December 2023].
University of the West of England (2023c) Crime Scene Policing and Policing Space [online]. Available from: Crime Scene Science and Policing Space – Campus and facilities | UWE Bristol [Accessed 5 December 2023].
World Health Organisation (2023) Violence Against Women [online]. Available from: Violence against women (who.int) [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Editorial Team
UWE Policing blog team: Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer). If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact Police.blog@uwe.ac.uk