Statement in response to NPCC Statement on VAWG

We welcome the National Policing Statement 2024 for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) which was issued today by the College of Police and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) in recognition that violence against women and girls has reached epidemic levels.

In our local area, domestic abuse accounts for 40% of all violent crime and is the largest single issue being dealt with by the police.  However, whilst reports to the Police are reducing, referrals into local specialist services like Next Chapter are increasing at an unprecedented rate.  Many survivors will not report their experiences to the police and for some communities intersectional issues create further barriers to support, so we know that the issue will be much larger than the data shows.

We know that domestic abuse perpetrated by men against women is rooted in women’s unequal status in society and is part of the wider social problem of male violence against women and girls. Research with the University of Bristol has found that sexism and misogyny set the scene for male abusive partners’ coercive and controlling behaviours and enables violence against women and girls.

The rise in incidences of domestic abuse should be understood in the broader context of an unprecedented rise in experiences of wider violence against women and girls incidents which indicates a much wider societal issue which cannot be tackled by a criminal justice focus on specific perpetrators alone.  Domestic abuse and the wider issue of violence against women and girls, with its roots in misogyny and patriarchy, and the cultural and community acceptance of violence against women and girls is a whole society issue that needs a society-wide response.

We must to come together to challenge all forms of discrimination and inequality.  We need male allies and for men to call out other men when they see unwanted behaviours.  We need men to be great role models for boys who will be our next generation of men.  Only by working together to unlearn gender stereotypes, unpick power imbalances, and unteach misogyny will we hope to change the way society views, values and treats women and girls.

We heard from Jess Phillips, MP & Minister for Safeguarding at the Women’s Aid National Conference only last week as Labour unveiled their plans to halve violence against women and girls in a decade - we welcome their commitment and look forward to working together to help deliver this aspiration.

Until then, we will be here for all survivors of domestic abuse to provide a place of safety and to support them to recovery and reclaim their life free from domestic abuse.  

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Notes:

Intersectionality refers to an understanding of the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage can compound themselves and create additional obstacles.

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls, and the term can also refer to social systems or environments where women face hostility and hatred because they’re women in a world created by and for men.  

Patriarchy describes a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.

Toxic masculinity is an attitude or set of social guidelines stereotypically associated with manliness that are often regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society.  The term toxic masculinity isn’t mean to imply that the idea of masculinity in itself is inherently bad.  Examples include:

• Men are tough, strong and do not cry.

• Men have an entitlement to women’s bodies, leading to sexual comments and harassment toward women.

• Men are encouraged to assert their power and dominance

• Homophobia – a belief that homosexuality is a deviation from traditional masculinity

• Men are breadwinners and the head of the household

Putting these sort of expectations on men can lead to men and boys feeling isolated  because they feel they are unable to ask for help.

Male Ally refers to men who work for social justice from positions of dominance or influence, for example men working for gender equity.  Effective allies work in solidarity with people from marginalised groups.

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