Soroptimist Bristol members were delighted to hear Sue Mountstevens OBE at our Speaker and Supper Meeting on Monday 11th November.
Sue is no stranger to SI Bristol as Sue was our guest speaker at our annual luncheon in 2014 and number of us are Magistrates too.
Sue was the first person to hold the post of Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner in Bristol and was first elected in 2012, having stood as an independent candidate. She was vice-chair of the Independent Monitoring Board for Bristol Prison and was a magistrate for 15 years. She now works as Chair of Quartet Community Foundation. Earlier in her career she was a director of a family business, the Mountstevens Bakeries chain.
Sue understands that addressing domestic abuse crime only as a ‘women’s issue’ risks blaming the victim and ignoring the actions of the offender. She believes that to stop the cycle of reoffending it’s essential to start working with perpetrators and that it’s vital to start educating boys to respect girls/women from a very young age, certainly before puberty.
Her support for women’s causes has been very strong, including the support for Next Link Domestic Abuse Services, a charity supported by Soroptimist Bristol.
Thank you, Sue, for a most interesting and informative talk.