Government’s VAWG Strategy a Step Forward – Now It’s Time for Real Action
Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland has welcomed the Government’s new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, calling it a major step forward in protecting women and girls.
Gillie O’Rourke, Federation President, said that as an organisation with long-standing experience supporting women at both grassroots and international levels, the charity recognises the importance of a coordinated, cross-government approach.
“Ahead of the publication of this strategy, we have been cautiously optimistic about how the Government intended to deliver on its commitment to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade.
“While declaring VAWG a national emergency was an important step forward, we have consistently emphasised that meaningful progress depends on moving beyond rhetoric to sustained, practical action – and avoiding the mistakes of the past where ambition was not matched by delivery.
“Now that the strategy has been published, we are encouraged to see a clear focus on tangible, real-world measures, with a modern approach that reflects the realities women and girls face today.
“We look forward to seeing how the commitments set out in the strategy – which span early intervention in education to dedicated specialist investigators at a criminal justice level – translate into sustained action, adequate resourcing and meaningful outcomes for women and girls, particularly those most at risk.”
The Government’s strategy aims to change attitudes among boys and young men, as part of a multimillion-pound investment. It will focus on three pillars spanning early intervention, stopping abusers and providing funding support for victims.
Soroptimists particularly praise the introduction of early intervention and teaching in schools. This is proposed to consist of courses on coercion, peer pressure, porn literacy, relationships and stalking, to complement the existing Relationships, Sex, and Health Education curriculum.
Gillie said: “This is an issue which resonates across all our Federation – Soroptimists have been working hard to educate boys and young men in appropriate behaviours over the past few years. As Jess Phillips has said, “what matters is action,” and that’s why we champion initiatives that encourage noticeable change.”
One such project saw regional Soroptimist President, and former Detective Superintendent, Jennifer McLelland QPM, partner with Lichfield Football Academy.
Soroptimists have worked with the management team at the Academy to deliver talks to boys on the consequences of unhealthy relationships, to highlight the results of domestic violence, the definition of consent in the law, online safety and the dangers of sexting and online pornography, and much more.
Currently sixty boys are part of this programme annually and Soroptimists have already seen behaviour change as a result.
The initiative has since expanded and is being delivered by Soroptimists in other areas. It will feature heavily at their upcoming Joint Regional Conference in May – where men’s groups will also be involved in the discussion about early intervention.
Gillie concludes: “While equality remains an uphill struggle, the VAWG strategy, along with improvements to the Employment Rights Bill, means the future looks a little brighter for women and girls in the UK.”