Violence against women and girls conference focuses on seldom heard voices

Hundreds of decision makers from across the Wessex region have come together to discuss how they can best tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

On Monday (04/11) at Tidworth Barracks Lecture Theatre, an all-day conference saw the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, police, local authorities, the CPS, health services, emergency services, and the military gathered alongside a number of charities and victim services to discuss a range of topics. 

The conference is in its second year, focusing on seldom heard voices such as women of colour, the elderly and young people. The conference was set up to discuss successes, challenges, share ideas and enhance how the different services can work together.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson said: “Violent and sexual crimes against women and girls cause great concern in our communities and both the Chief Constable and I have prioritised focus in this area. We are seeing improved outcome rates for rape and sexual assault offences but there is still more work to do.

“The Seldom Heard Voices conference was a great way to reach into those underrepresented demographics to hear the experiences and viewpoints of all ages, ethnicities and disabilities – and some really insightful and eye opening conversations were had.

“The Force and my office are continuing this important work through the Listening Circles which provide a safe space for women and girls to share their experiences, feedback, and suggestions to enable myself and the Force to gain valuable insight and make the necessary changes to restore the trust and confidence victims should have within policing, which is a key priority identified within my police and crime plan.”

 

Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Vinton, from Wiltshire Police is one of the organisers. She said: "Last year Wiltshire Police ran a communications campaign called 'We are Listening' where we asked women and girls about their experiences of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and how we could improve. We had a huge response, with over a thousand people taking part.

"But what we didn't get within those survey responses was the voice of women of colour, that of women with a disability, and that of the elderly (65+) and the young (<25). One of the reasons for this, I believe, is that the confidence of some demographics of women and girls in policing and the wider criminal justice system is understandably low - outcomes for women of colour in the criminal justice system have been consistently worse than that of their white peers for years. Disabled women are twice as likely to have experienced domestic abuse and have historically experienced high levels of sexual assault but with lower criminal justice outcomes. 

“The only way that we can effectively tackle VAWG is for all of our partners to work together. We wanted to put on a conference where people from different organisations could come together to talk about why this topic is so important.

"I put a challenge out to everyone who came on Monday to identify something they could do to be an upstander for those whose voices may not always be heard, and to get out there and put it into action. We have to make the invisible visible, and ensure that all of our communities are heard"

Chief Constable Catherine Roper, Wiltshire Police said: "The theme of this year's conference is 'seldom heard voices'. We recognise that we are hearing some voices, but we're not hearing others. We want to hear from our communities who are from a Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic Heritage communities, as well as people with disabilities, young people, and older people. It is the responsibility of Wiltshire Police to ensure that our communities have the trust, confidence, and opportunities to reach out to us - and when they do, it is our responsibility to make sure we listen and provide them with the best possible service.

"We are holding this conference to really listen at what we, the police, can do better. We want to explore how we can work with partners, charities and volunteers to make sure that we can identify when someone is vulnerable and needs our help, and to make sure we listen to what need to provide them with support." 

Daphne Franks was one of the speakers at this year's event. Daphne's 92-year-old mother had a five year history of vascular dementia. Daphne told a story of a secret marriage, a revoked will, an unmarked grave, grooming, gaslighting, a Private Member's Bill and a campaign to highlight all these issues.

Daphne said: "I think it's absolutely brilliant that the police are aware of this as an issue and they've put so much time and effort into this. It shows that they understand the importance of it, the vulnerability, the unheard voices, and unseen people. I'm so proud to have been invited to take part."

Becky Peters, a Swindon English teacher formed part of a panel, with Jenn Holton, the Head of Neighbourhood Harm Reduction at Wiltshire Police and two students. She said: "I think it's a fantastic idea because ignoring the fact that violence against women and girls exists, is a way to perpetuate that violence. So addressing it, understanding it, talking about it and then inviting people who don't normally get to speak and be listened to and be heard by so many organisations is a wonderful thing to do."

Holly, an A level student from Swindon also took part in the discussion panel and said: "I'd urge people to start communicating with each other. If you hear something that's wrong call it out. Even if you feel afraid to do it, even if it's just with family or friends, speak out about it because that really could make a difference."

Thanks to the sponsors of the event, without whom the conference could not go ahead. They include our Gold sponsors Forensic Analytics and our Silver sponsors Enterprise, as well as Mastek, Bechtle, Amazon Web Services, Wiltshire Police Federation, Unison and The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust. 

A number of people were also recognised for their work in tackling VAWG. The following people were given awards:

• Individual expanding the horizons of how we tackle VAWG - Henry Claridge, Senior Business Intelligence Systems Developer, Wiltshire Police
• Unsung Hero in supporting victims of VAWG - Michaela Little, Crisis Support Administrator and Crisis worker, Swindon SARC
• Unsung Hero in investigating VAWG - DC Melonie Neal, Child Abuse Investigation Team, Wiltshire Police
• Exceptional Teamwork in tackling VAWG - Barnado's Safer Streets Team
• Exceptional work with partners to enhance service within VAWG - Emma King, Manager and founder of the Swindon Sisters Alliance

Published Friday 8 December 2023