Tidworth hosts conference on violence against women and girls
Wiltshire Police admit they need to do more to protect females
Hundreds of decision makers from across the Wessex region have come together in Tidworth, to discuss how they can best tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).
An all-day conference has been held at the Barracks Theatre, with police, local authorities, the CPS, health services, emergency services, and the military gathered alongside a number of charities and victim services to discuss a range of topics.
The conference is in its second year, focusing on 'seldom heard voices' such as women of colour, the elderly and young people.
The conference was set up to discuss successes, challenges, share ideas and enhance how the different services can work together.
Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Vinton, from Wiltshire Police is one of the organisers. She said:
"Last year Wiltshire Police ran a communications campaign called 'We are Listening' where we asked women and girls about their experiences of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and how we could improve. We had a huge response, with over a thousand people taking part.
"But what we didn't get within those survey responses was the voice of women of colour, that of women with a disability, and that of the elderly (65+) and the young (<25). One of the reasons for this, I believe, is that the confidence of some demographics of women and girls in policing and the wider criminal justice system is understandably low - outcomes for women of colour in the criminal justice system have been consistently worse than that of their white peers for years. Disabled women are twice as likely to have experienced domestic abuse and have historically experienced high levels of sexual assault but with lower criminal justice outcomes.
“The only way that we can effectively tackle VAWG is for all of our partners to work together. We wanted to put on a conference where people from different organisations could come together to talk about why this topic is so important.
"I put a challenge out to everyone who came on Monday to identify something they could do to be an upstander for those whose voices may not always be heard, and to get out there and put it into action. We have to make the invisible visible, and ensure that all of our communities are heard."
Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson said:
“Violent and sexual crimes against women and girls cause great concern in our communities and both the Chief Constable and I have prioritised focus in this area. We are seeing improved outcome rates for rape and sexual assault offences but there is still more work to do.
“The Seldom Heard Voices conference was a great way to reach into those underrepresented demographics to hear the experiences and viewpoints of all ages, ethnicities and disabilities – and some really insightful and eye opening conversations were had.
“The Force and my office are continuing this important work through the Listening Circles which provide a safe space for women and girls to share their experiences, feedback, and suggestions to enable myself and the Force to gain valuable insight and make the necessary changes to restore the trust and confidence victims should have within policing, which is a key priority identified within my police and crime plan.”