Sunday 15th March - Violence Against Women and Girls Bus Consultation, East of Brighton Pier – 9.00am – 4.00pm
If you are interested in how the government develops its national strategy on violence against women, please try to go to the seafront this weekend and get involved in the public consultation. There will be a big red bus parked all day at the east side of Brighton Pier with large writing saying “Have your say here, End Violence against Women”.
Further details of the whole consultation process.
On Monday 9th March, the Home Office Secretary launched the largest ever, cross-government public consultation on violence against women and girls which will last until the 26th June 2009. The consultation document entitled “Together we Can End Violence Against Women and Girls” looks at how attitudes behind violence can be challenged and how to make women feel safer. For a copy go to http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-vaw/
The key themes that the consultation looks at are how to:
· prevent violence against women from happening in the first place;
· help friends, family, employers and public services to identify early signs of violence as soon as possible and do something about it;
· protect and support the children who are growing up in violent households;
· make sure that men who have already attacked or abused don’t continue to do so
· help women feel more safe when they travel;
It also outlines plans to setup a new advisory group that will look at how schools can prevent violence against women, as well as a review into the increasing sexualisation of teenage girls.
The consultation paper also sets out:
· a model for addressing the issue across government: focusing attention on prevention; provision; protection;
· the key themes for government action, which we will use to drive public debate and discussion on what more they can do;
Many of the questions are deliberately open ended – they want to start a debate over the coming months as they talk to hundreds of stakeholders and members of the public around the country.
To join in on the national debate about ending violence against women, you can:
1. Take an online survey by going to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/keepwomensafe/survey
2. Download the consultation and post or e-mail your reply to the home office. Go to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-vaw/vaw-consultation.pdf?view=Binary
3. Join the debate in person by visiting one of the Violence Against Women buses which are travelling around the country letting the public know how they can get involved in the consultations.
4. There will also be advice and support on the bus for those who need it. In the South East, Brighton and Hove has been allocated as one of the areas where the bus will come and will be parked to the East of Brighton Pier on Madeira Drive on 15th March from 9.00am to 16.00pm.
For more information about the buses go to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/violence-against-women-bus
There are also events to talk to stakeholders who work in this field. More information on this will be available on the Crime Reduction website at http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk
Michelle Pooley
Domestic Violence Strategic Co-ordinator (Brighton & Hove)
Partnership Community Safety Team
Brighton & Hove City Council
162 North Street
Brighton BN1 1EA
