Opinion piece by Cllr Bobby Bennett, Cabinet Member for Equality and Communities
Violence Against Women and Girls has a devastating impact on its victims. Crimes such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, revenge porn and others occur all too often.
Suffolk County Council is proud to support the Sue Poole Award, which recognises innovation, achievement and commitment in the field of Violence Against Women and Girls and was presented earlier this month as part of the Suffolk Constabulary’s annual Exceptional Policing Award.
Sue Poole worked tirelessly to support adults and children affected by the impact of domestic abuse. The Award is sponsored by the family of the late Sue Poole along with Suffolk County Council and is awarded in Sue’s memory.
This year’s winner is the Leeway Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) Suffolk Team.
Leeway works in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies across Suffolk, ensuring that the victims voice and needs are at the centre of all they do.
The IDVA team supports adults at high risk of Domestic Abuse that have been referred through the Police and other public protection agencies. The team addresses the risk, completes safety or crisis planning and coordinates a multi-agency response to ensure that all areas of support are covered.
The award panel, made up of members from Suffolk’s Violence Against Women and Girls steering Group, noted that Leeway’s Suffolk IDVA team are extremely dedicated to supporting those who are at high-risk of Domestic Abuse, with the whole team going above and beyond for victims, survivors and children.
The team work with specialist agencies to get the best outcomes for all those they support, including children and young people, LGBTQ+ and older victims.
They are the voice of those they support, to get the best outcomes through court proceedings and multi-agency meetings.
I was delighted to present the Sue Poole Award to Leeway’s IDVA Team at the awards ceremony on 8 November and it was good to discuss with the team the important impact of the work they do.
Looking to some of the other work happening in Suffolk, we are once again supporting this year’s White Ribbon Campaign.
This year, we are encouraging individuals and organisations to make consistent choices and actions to #ChangeTheStory for women and girls, so that they may live their lives free from the fear of violence.
Violence experienced by women and girls takes many forms. Some behaviours and words may seem ‘harmless’ but normalising them ignores the short and long-term effects on women and can lead to more extreme violence.
According to data collated by Hourglass, one in six older people (65+) in the UK are victims of abuse. That’s over 16% of our mothers, fathers, uncles, aunties, grannies, grandads, friends and neighbours. Older victims also sadly on average, experience abuse for twice as long before seeking help as those aged under 61. Through this year’s White Ribbon Campaign, Suffolk County Council is shining a light on support available to older people.
Libraries in Suffolk are also supporting the White Ribbon campaign. Set up through Suffolk County Council’s Domestic Abuse Champions Network - which now consists of more than 1300 Domestic Abuse Champions - all our Libraries continue to offer “Safe Spaces” for victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
Safe Spaces provide an accessible safe and discrete environment where anyone, whether they are experiencing domestic abuse themselves, or if they’re worried about someone else, can speak to someone in the library in confidence and be referred to the organisations who can support them. A visit to the library may offer someone the chance to get away from their abuser and so provides an ideal opportunity to speak to someone in confidence.
Visit https://uksaysnomore.org/safespaces/ to find other safe spaces in Suffolk.
Culture change doesn’t happen overnight, but by working together, we can end violence against women and girls in our lifetimes. Being allies with women every day shouldn’t be underestimated, even the smallest actions can affect big change.
White Ribbon Day (25 November), begins 16 days of action to highlight support available for women and girls, both nationally and locally. You can get involved by following Suffolk County Council on Facebook and Twitter and using the hashtags #ChangeTheStory and #SuffolkStory.
If you are experiencing abuse, or are worried about a relative, friend or colleague, please call the Suffolk Domestic Abuse 24 Hour helpline for support on 0800 9775690 or visit https://www.suffolkdahelpline.org.uk/
Perpetrators can contact the Respect Phoneline on 0808 802 4040 for confidential advice on how to stop hurting the one they love.
