Campaigning against domestic abuse
Part of the White Ribbon Campaign’s 16 days of action against domestic abuse, this once against highlights Lancashire’s commitment as the first White Ribbon County and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s commitment to tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims.
The Calico Gateway Building in Burnley, the Preston Town Hall and Ormskirk Clock Tower saw projections of the White Ribbon logo and key messages around their mission statement, never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
Other activity taking place in Lancashire as part of the 16 days of action has included a conference organised by the Commissioner’s office, which has reported back on a pilot project dedicated to supporting abuse victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.
The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) project has seen specialist support for domestic abuse victims placed into a health setting, with these currently based in which has Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Southport and Ormskirk and Hospitals NHS Trust.
The office was represented at the official opening of the Emily Davison Centre, the UK’s first ending violence against women and girls hub.
All of the men in the Commissioner’s office also have either become White Ribbon Ambassadors during the 16 weeks of action or already were.
Mr Grunshaw said:
“It’s absolutely crucial that we send the message loud and clear that, with thousands of incidents across our County, we will not tolerate Domestic Abuse in any form. Tackling it falls squarely under my Police and Crime Plan and I’m proud that my office and partners across Lancashire continue to show this is not an issue we take lightly.
“My office has held White Ribbon status since early 2015 and in 2017 I was proud to lead the effort that saw Lancashire become the first White Ribbon County, which was an important achievement that I am really proud of.”
“Violence against women and girls is unacceptable and shockingly over 90% of domestic abuse is witnessed by children. This has to stop and anything we can do to tackle the issue and get people talking about it has to be a good thing.
“I have made specialist support for victims available through Lancashire Victim Services and I would urge anyone affected to contact the service.”
One of the areas lit up was Calico’s Gateway building in Burnley.
Anthony Duerden, Chief Executive of The Calico Group, is a White Ribbon ambassador and says:
“Through the services we deliver, such as SafeNet Domestic Abuse and Support Services and Gateway, I have learned about the scale and the shocking impact that domestic abuse has on people’s lives every day.
“We all need to do more work to prevent abuse happening, and I believe that men need to take a greater role in this. One way of doing this is to ensure it is talked about more openly to raise awareness.”
