Forwarded
White Ribbon is a global charity that was set up in Canada in 1991 to raise awareness about the prevalence of male violence against women. The White Ribbon is the globally recognised symbol to end men’s violence against women and girls.
Violence and abuse in any form will not be tolerated, and as a force and a community, we stand with White Ribbon to encourage people to speak out, be counted, and say no to violence, abuse and harassment against women and girls.
Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin has said “Humberside Police are an accredited force, which shows that we are committed to having a positive and safe organisational culture and we promote a zero-tolerance attitude to behaviour that does not support this.
“We want to provide a safe and respectful place in which women can excel. As a force we take all reports of domestic abuse extremely seriously and are committed to working with our partners and communities to ensure those affected feel safe, and live free from violence and abuse.”
Humberside is the first region to incorporate the badge into their training, along with the Scouting association.
Over the coming weeks, as part of their commitment, officers will be taking part in a number of events to support White Ribbon. One event includes the screening of the film Love? – a docudrama of the actor Sam Beckinsale’s lived experience of coercive controlling behaviour.
To support the White Ribbon Campaign, throughout December they will be focussing their collective efforts on this pervasive and deeply concerning issue, that impacts the safety and dignity of women and girls in the community.
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a cross cutting issue across many crime types, but it is of fundamental importance to policing to promote equality in society. Within the Force Management Statement, VAWG is rated as a ‘Very High’ threat within the force strategic assessment and is central to the Force Control Strategy.
VAWG encompasses a range of harmful behaviours including domestic abuse, sexual violence, harassment, stalking and exploitation. In terms of Domestic Abuse, around 75% of all recorded offending are offences against women. Women are also victims in around 84% of cases linked to sexual offending (c.90% when rape is the crime).
These offences not only cause immediate physical and emotional harm, but have long-lasting effects on victims, families and communities at large. Tackling VAWG is not just about law enforcement, it’s about changing social attitudes and providing support, and empowerment to victims.
Intelligence is welcome around the following areas;
- Who poses a risk to females within the night time economy? How are they posing a risk – what are they doing?
- Where do women and girls feel unsafe – why do they feel unsafe in this location and what can be done to alleviate the issue?
- Who is showing an attraction towards the ‘incel’ community – usually young males in an online setting who show hostile views towards women due to being unable to attract women sexually? What forms of misogyny are demonstrated that pose a risk?
What online communities are there where misogynistic views are aired?
- Are there any groups of people operating together to promote ‘anti-female’ ideology?
- Who displays views linked to a perceived male superiority, and uses terminology that is degrading and offensive to women?
- Who is using their position in life (occupation, voluntary role) to assert authority over women and to wrongly influence outcomes based on gender alone?
- Are there identified suspects of sexual offending against women that are now in a relationship with new female partners?
The pursuit of combatting violence against women and girls requires a relentless approach from partners. The challenge requires compassion, determination and a commitment to change.
Please disseminate through your respective networks, and encourage partners to submit intelligence through the Community Intelligence Portal –
https://www.humberside.police.uk/partners/partner-services/community-partner-intelligence/community-partnership-intelligence/ (for professionals) – or via any of the other means listed via the following link;
https://www.humberside.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/
