On Wednesday 20 November 2024 Surrey Soroptimists hosted a one day conference to explore the safety of women and girls living and working in Surrey.
SI Surrey Hills joined with neighbouring clubs SI Woking, SI Weybridge and SI Epsom to host the conference at the Guildford Rugby Club. Representatives from charities and organisations supporting women affected by abuse (be that physical, sexual, coercive control or any other form) and those working to change the narrative on gender bias came together for a day of discussion and to share ideas. We heard harrowing stories of violence, fear and ineffective systems but also learnt of many positive initiatives working to move the dial on gender inequality, educate young people, work with perpetrators and support survivors of abuse.
We were honoured to hear from local authorities, including Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Surrey County Council and Surrey Police, about the policies and initiatives they are taking to tackle abuse of women in our county.
Other keynote speakers included a university professor with experience and insight into the legal processes intended to protect survivors, representatives from charities working with perpetrators, those educating young people about healthy relationships and representatives from local organisations supporting survivors of abuse.
So, is Surrey safe for women? For many women it is indeed a safe county but for others, it is not. Until ALL women feel safe in their communities, town centres, schools, workplaces and, most importantly, their own homes, we must continue to shout out loud that this is not acceptable, call out bad behaviour, hold perpetrators to account and support women and girls who suffer abuse in all its forms.
Our speakers:
- Lisa Townsend, Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner
- Professor Susan Edwards, Professor of Law at the University of Northumbria Newcastle, Emerita Professor at the University of Buckingham
- Chris Green, Founder of White Ribbon campaign Co-founder Male Allies Challenging Sexism
- Councillor Denise Turner Stewart, Deputy Leader Surrey County Council
- Sarah Mullen, Former Chair Respect
- Gill Kirkman, Assistant Professor in Social Work, University of Bradford; Country Director, None in Three
- Daisy Anderson, CEO Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre
- Caroline Hill, Stalking and Harrassment Force Advisor, Surrey Police
- Christine Corless, Lead on Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts Response SI Oxford & District
This conference marks the start of an on-going project to look at the ways we can work across groups to make Surrey safer. The conference is the first step, bringing people together to learn, discuss and commit to actions and improvements across the county. Violence against women and girls has recently been described as ‘a national emergency’ and Surrey Soroptimists are committed to bringing improvements to our region.
