Neve Gordon-Farleigh
180,000 voices, 1 shared vision and 1 strategy to prevent thousands more stories and shared experiences. It is not unheard of for women and girls to be scared to walk home alone. Harassment, abuse and violence are not just one person’s experience, yet the case of Sarah Everard was catalytic in motivating the government to do something to prevent it from happening on such a wide scale.
In December 2020, the government called for evidence to shape a Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls strategy. Within the 10 weeks that the survey was initially open, it received around 20,000 responses. When the news broke surrounding the murder of Sarah Everard, the survey reopened to give people the opportunity to share their experiences to be heard by the government after many took to social media to share their hurt, anger, and upset.
In a survey carried out by YouGov and reported by The Guardian, 86% of women aged 18 to 24 had experienced sexual harassment in a public place. This signalled that it was time for change. The new survey received over 180,000 responses and has been used to shape and create a brand new strategy.
Led by the Home Secretary Priti Patel, Safeguarding Minister Victoria Atkins, and Independent Advisor Nimco Ali, the new strategy aims to be both preventative and practical.
Immediate Steps
Whilst the strategy looks at what can be put in place long-term, there are a number of steps that will help increase safety in public spaces.
The government’s funding will be put into numerous schemes, including a £5 million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund and an additional £25 million invested into a Safer Streets Fund. These will help to increase the safety of not only women and girls but everyone in public places. Increasing safety at nighttime is also a priority. Including targeting parks and alleyways and routes to and from hospitality such as nightclubs, bars and restaurants.
“I do not accept that violence against women and girls is inevitable.”
Alongside funding, there will also be a national policing lead. Specifically leading on violence against women and girls who will be a point of contact for every police force. To increase safety on public transport, there will also be new Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions.
On these initial steps, Priti Patel said, “It is unacceptable that women and girls are still subject to harassment, abuse, and violence, and I do not accept that violence against women and girls is inevitable.”
Victim Support, Prevention and Pursuing Perpetrators
The strategy will also make sure that victims receive access to appropriate services. With a newly commissioned 24/7 rape and sexual harassment helpline, and a revised relationships, sex and health education curriculum developed by the Department for Education. More will be done for public transport across the UK and additional funding of £1.5 million will go towards helplines.
Prevention will come in the form of tackling sexual harassment and abuse in higher education. In the process, the Home Office will also gain a better understanding of how to properly tackle and find “what works” to prevent violence from happening. It also aims to target misogynistic attitudes in the pursuit of perpetrators and use forms of prevention so young people understand healthy relationships.
Safeguarding Minister Victoria Atkins revealed her own experiences of harassment and has described the strategy of having “positive and ambitious actions that will make a real difference in tackling violence against women and girls.”
Parliament
“They cause women and girls to calculate risk and calibrate their behaviour, sometimes without realising it.”
Atkins announced the new strategy in the House of Commons. Starting off by sharing words and experiences from the call for evidence saying, “they capture a reality that we simply must confront: women and girls are too often subjected to abuse, harassment and violence. Enough is enough.”
The government recognises it’s not just sexual harassment that women face but revenge porn, female genital mutilation and stalking with crimes that extend onto the virtual world. Atkins said, “The devastation and trauma caused by such crimes cannot be overstated.” She went on to say, “The consequences are felt across society, too. They cause women and girls to calculate risk and calibrate their behaviour, sometimes without realising it.”
However Labour MP Jess Phillips criticised the strategy, telling the House of Commons, “There is so much missing in what the strategy sets out today”.
“We need to make sure women and girls, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, are safe.”
Every year Phillips reads out the names of those killed in the UK where a man has been convicted or charged for the crime. Referring to a “much-need public sexual harassment law” she emphasised in her speech to The Commons that, “We need to make sure that women and girls, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, are safe.”
If “enough is enough” is the message, the government has heard it loud and clear, following a domestic abuse strategy later this year.
Featured image courtesy of Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash. No changes or alterations were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Neve is a 21 year old freelance journalist, and our Head Current Affairs and Instagram Editor for Empoword Journalism. She specialises in social media journalism and runs the Journo Resources Tik Tok page. You can find her on Twitter @Neve_GF.