Held on White Ribbon Day, a global awareness campaign to end male
violence against women and girls, the event engaged a regionwide
cohort of organisations to inform a refresh of the current
Violence Against Women and Girl's strategy for York and North
Yorkshire. The Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, , is leading the strategy refresh, which aims to publish
in Spring 2025.
Official figures estimate 2 million women in England and Wales
are victims of violence every year, with 20% of adults in these
regions being victims of domestic abuse every year. The UK
Government has committed to halving violence against women and
girls, a sentiment shared by York and North Yorkshire Mayor
. In his recently launched
vision, Healthy and Thriving communities, Mayor Skaith emphasised
a priority to ensure safe spaces for all residents.
, York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing,
Fire and Crime said:
“There is a national epidemic of violence against women and
girls. One in four women will experience domestic abuse in their
lifetime. In York and North Yorkshire there were 700 recorded
offences of Coercive and Controlling Behaviour last year, 282
rapes were recorded plus a further 664 serious sexual offences.
The ex-partner of a woman from Malton is currently standing trial
for her murder earlier this year.
“On Monday we heard incredibly powerful stories from those
with lived experience such as Laura Pulleyn who's abuse went on
over many years. We also heard from voluntary organisations
already working across York and North Yorkshire with the
survivors of abuse.
“We heard a lot of frustrations with the system as it
currently works but the event was about coming together in a
shared objective to try and change some of those things. Thank
you to all those who attended and shared their insights and
expertise with us.
“We won't always get everything right. But we can be better.
Women and girls in York and North Yorkshire deserve that we
always try to do more and be better. We have the best chance of
doing that if we work together.
“The new national Government has pledged to halve violence
against women and girls over the next decade. The Mayor and I are determined to
ensure we do our bit as part of that mission.
“That work is already underway; we're looking again at our
strategic approach to violence against women and girls in our
area and will be setting our priorities for policing and crime
prevention over the next four years in the coming weeks.”
Speakers joining at the summit included Laura
Pulleyn, Managing Director of the Ford Family
Foundation. Laura spoke about her direct lived experience of
domestic abuse as well as the opportunities missed that could
have helped her leave her relationship earlier.
Laura Pulleyn said:
“There are millions of women who never get to tell their
story, whether that's through choice, through fear, or through
the fact they're never able to escape their abusive
situation.
“Every time I get the opportunity to speak, I believe it's
important for me to be as open as possible, especially when I
have an audience of commissioners and service providers who can
make the changes that are so desperately needed.”
Sarah Hill, CEO of IDAS, outlined the history
and current issues faced by women in York and North Yorkshire and
called for a more collaborative approach to ending violence
against women and girls. The summit heard how public awareness of
domestic and sexual abuse has changed over time and how vital
support services have evolved as a result. Delegates took part in
key strategic discussions, helping to inform future strategies
and considered how they can more effectively work together to
deliver these.
The summit concluded with a Q&A panel, including Deputy Mayor
, New Beginnings charity CEO Lindsay
Oliver, Survive CEO Mags Godderidge,
Halo Project founder Yasmin Khan, Ford Family
Foundation MD Laura Pulleyn, IDAS CEO
Sarah Hill, and North Yorkshire Police
ACC Ben Moseley. The expert speakers took
questions collected throughout the day on a range of topics,
including:
- How can we best protect young people from online harms?
- How can public bodies pool their resources to better deliver
change?
- Can the private sector play a role?
Insights from the summit will be used to help refresh the
strategy, whilst members of the public are invited to complete
the ongoing Violence Against Women and
Girls Survey to share their experiences and
insights.
To find out more about our current VAWG Strategy and an overview
of outcomes achieved since the launch in June 2022, please visit
the OPFCC website: Addressing violence against
women and girls in North Yorkshire & City of
York
