Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls strategy to be adopted in Southampton
A joint domestic abuse and violence against women and girls strategy has been developed to tackle gender-based violence and make the city a safer place for women and girls
Approved at a Cabinet Meeting on Tuesday 20 December, the Southampton Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2023-2028 sets out four key priorities to make Southampton safer for women and girls, and to support the victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse over the next five years. The priorities are:
- Prioritising prevention
- Support for survivors (early intervention and support)
- Building an accountable community and changing abusers’ behaviour
- A stronger coordinated response
The strategy was developed by representatives from health providers, local support services, the Probation Service, Hampshire Constabulary and Southampton City Council and informed by the voices of survivors, specialist providers and NHS and Public Health staff.
It aims to understand the root causes of domestic and sexual abuse and violence against women and girls, which has featured among the top priority areas for the Safe City Partnership for the last four years.
Councillor Matt Renyard, Cabinet Member for a Safer City comments:
“The Southampton Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls strategy is the result of a city-wide partnership and key to ensuring that all victims and survivors of domestic abuse receive the support they need in a co-ordinated way.
“In recent years we have come a long way in understanding the issues we want to address, and as a city, we have taken the lead in so many ways. We were one of the first local authorities to be DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance) Accredited, we were the first authority in the country to host a Violence Against Women and Girls conference (February 2022), and launched our Safe Places network (2022).
“As a city, we will be taking bold and positive steps to create societal change by being laser focused on prioritising prevention and building a more accountable community where we take responsibility to address behaviours at the earliest opportunity.”
The term ‘violence against women and girls’ refers to acts of violence or abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls. These crimes include - and are not limited to - rape, sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking, ‘honour’-based abuse including forced marriage, ‘revenge porn’, and the harms associated with sex work and prostitution. The term does not negate the experiences of, or provisions for, male victims of these crimes.
National data from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales and Opinions and Lifestyle Survey shows that:
- Of those aged 16 to 74, who have experienced any form of domestic abuse in the last year, 67% were female and 33% male
- Of those aged 16 to 74, who have experienced sexual assault in the last year, 80% were female and 20% male
- 27% of females aged 16+ have experienced at least one form of harassment in the last year
- Of those aged 18 to 74, who have experienced any sexual abuse before the age of 16, 77% were female and 23% male
In Southampton, domestic violence continues to be a significant driver of violent crime; with 32.6% of violent crime in 2021/22 flagged as domestic.
