Councillor Sara Armstrong says: “As this month of October is dedicated to raising awareness of violence against women and girls – I have written to David Sidwick, Dorset Police & Crime Commissioner, to find out about the scale of it in Dorset in particular BCP and what is being done to tackle it. This is an issue extremely close to my heart and many others in our community. The recent closure of the refuge in Bournemouth has left residents with many questions and concerns about are we doing enough to support victims?”
Sara’s letter to David Sidwick
“Domestic abuse is far too common in the UK, and its harmful impacts on survivors can extend to many areas of their lives, including mental health, physical wellbeing, family safety, housing and homelessness.
Latest figures estimate that Over 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men each year in an epidemic that’s become so serious, police chiefs are calling it a “national emergency” and are treating it as a “national threat”.
Crimes including stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence affect one in 12 women in England and Wales, with the number of recorded offences growing by 37% in the past five years and the perpetrators of domestic violence getting younger.
One in 6 homicides are related to domestic violence.
20% of all police recorded crimes are counted as violence against women.
1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in their life time and it can take a woman 7 attempts before they can leave for good.
Domestic violence due to its very nature is massively unreported, on average victims experience 35 incidences of abuse before reporting to the police and 50 incidents before they get effective help. It’s estimated that 3 women a week die from suicide as a result of domestic violence and 8 women a month are murdered by their male partner or ex partner.
Some factors that have been attributed to the rise in violence against women and girls include:
Misogynistic online content, the failure of existing systems to protect women, and the increase in the numbers of young men being radicalised.
These national figures are extremely alarming and demonstrate that law enforcement alone will not tackle the scale of this. It’s going to take a societal shift.
This brings me to what are we doing closer to home to tackle this epidemic and what do we know about the scale and impact of it on our residents? How much of a priority is it for you?
What data do we have for BCP and how do we compare with the national picture?
Do we have a full understanding of the scale of the problem and the root causes in our communities? How many women in BCP are affected?
What does a whole systems approach look like and what progress is being made to drive standards and consistency forwards across BCP?
What resources are in place and are they sufficient to meet such a growing need?
What actions do we need the government to take?
Domestic violence destroys lives and it needs to stop. We will not tolerate it in our communities.”
Cllr Sara Armstrong