Charity calls for education, housing and funding in new violence against women strategy
Anawim’s Alice Rosenthal says violence against women and girls is a national emergency and cannot be solved by policing alone
A Birmingham charity supporting women across the city and the Black Country says the government’s new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy must focus on education safe housing and long-term funding for specialist services.
The UK government is announcing a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy this morning aimed at tackling gender-based abuse and supporting survivors as part of a wider effort to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.
Alice Rosenthal from Anawim says violence against women and girls is “100 per cent” a national emergency as the strategy is announced this morning.
Anawim is based in Balsall Heath and supports more than 2,000 women a year across Birmingham and the Black Country through its helpline drop-in services counselling advocacy and courses. The charity also works with women involved in the criminal justice system including those on probation in prisons and in secure forensic mental health settings.
Alice says the scale of the problem goes far beyond official figures, " The scale is much bigger than those figures would suggest” she says adding that it is widely accepted only around a quarter of cases are reported.
She says the response must go beyond law enforcement alone, “We can’t police our way out of something like this because it’s too deep rooted now” Alice says. “It needs to be going through education. We need to be looking at attitudes.”
Alice also highlights how technology is increasingly being used as a tool for abuse, “Online offending plays into pretty much everything nowadays” she says explaining that phones social media and smart devices can be used to track and control women even in their own homes.
She says the strategy must also address the need for safe accessible housing, “If women need to get out of situations there have to be safe housing options available” Alice says adding that women should be able to move away from their local area if necessary to reach safety.
While welcoming measures such as the expansion of Clare’s Law and Domestic Violence Protection Orders Alice says implementation will be key.
“It’s about saying the things but then implementing them safely and well across the board” she says.
Education Alice believes is essential to prevent abuse before it begins, “We need to be questioning attitudes and challenging attitudes before they take root” she says particularly given the influence of online content on young people.
Alice also warns that frontline charities need secure long-term funding to continue supporting survivors.
“The problems aren’t going away” she says. “If you’re saying it’s an epidemic fund the charities and organisations that work with survivors.”
As the new strategy is unveiled Alice says recognising violence against women and girls as a national emergency is an important step but action must follow.
She says meaningful change will only come if education housing and properly funded support services are placed at the centre of the government’s response.