Women’s Charity Calls Upon Government to Prevent Domestic Abuse as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 Ends

Registered women’s charity, Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland  (SIGBI), is calling upon the government to prioritise prevention against domestic abuse, and other crimes that incite Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 draws to a close.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that approximately 2.1 million women are victims of domestic abuse per year and that between two and three women each week are killed by a current or former partner.

Refuge reports that, in the UK, the police receive a domestic abuse-related phone call every 30 seconds. Yet, it’s estimated that only 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to the police.

Over the past few weeks, SIGBI has been campaigning for the elimination of VAWG and domestic abuse with its annual ‘16 Days of Activism’, a UN Women campaign that highlights gender-based violence worldwide.

Ruth Healey, President of SIGBI, said: “Amounting to a national emergency, violence against women and girls can take so many forms – physical, emotional, financial, and coercive – and much of it is now hidden, especially when it comes to domestic violence, which makes it so much harder to combat.

“It’s terrifying that between 2018 and 2023, there was a 37% increase in violent crimes against women and girls. 

“The issue is growing, and the urgency for collective action is underscored by staggering numbers and reports highlighting the prevalence of gender-based violence both nationally and globally.

“Gender-based violence needs to be unacceptable in all parts of our society, and it requires a multi-faceted approach to address it. This includes prevention, protection, and prosecution, but mostly prevention.”

The ‘16 days of Activism’ also commonly referred to as ‘Orange the World’ commenced on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and has recently drawn to a close on 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Over the course of the campaign, SIGBI’s members – known as Soroptimists – have turned the UK orange, lighting up key monuments and buildings, to shine a light on these issues.

St Alban’s Museum, Hertfordshire County Hall, Cartmel Priory, The Hoad Monument, Barrow Town Hall, Pembrokeshire County Hall, Cirencester Parish Church, Wigan Town Hall, Wills Hall in Bristol, Bristol City Hall and key buildings in Salisbury are a few locations which turned orange over the past few weeks.

The campaign took place not long after the UK Government announced new measures to combat VAWG, marking the first step in its pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Ruth said: “As Soroptimists, we believe we need to continue to raise awareness of this issue – empowering communities with the knowledge needed to help prevent violence before it starts.

“This is why – as the campaign ends this year – we’re keen to call on the Government to do more. While reforming police responses, strengthening the justice system, empowering victims and making Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) a mainstream issue is important, it is most important to prioritise the prevention of domestic abuse crimes or VAWG in the first instance.

“By turning the UK orange this 25 November to 10 December, we took action, raised awareness and ignited change, but we don’t want it to stop there. We are committed to creating a world where women and girls can live free from fear, empowered to reach their full potential.”

Soroptimists across the UK undertake a significant amount of work to prevent VAWG and domestic abuse – much of that work involves education around the impact of crimes against women.

The charity’s Lichfield club, for example, has run several Healthy Relationship talks to boys, aged 15 – 17 years old at the Lichfield City Football Academy, emphasising the need for Consent and Respect. Feedback from the Academy is that there has been a definite shift in behaviour.

Programmes are being run across the UK alongside conferences that bring together local agencies, councillors, Police Crime Commissioners and others to discuss local approaches.

Soroptimists have also launched observation studies into the treatment of female domestic abuse victims, watching over 220 sessions of the Special Domestic Violence Courts in the pilot alone. This work has now been replicated in Wiltshire (2018), the Midlands (2020 and now in Wales (2024).

The observations have consistently supplied similar recommendations. These include:

  • Female victims need consistent access to Domestic Abuse Advisors.
  • Technology needs to be used effectively to make a stressful situation less so, and to ensure that trials are not affected by an abuse of technology.
  • Essential training needs to be delivered to all magistrates, judges and Crown prosecutors so they fully understand domestic abuse, and how fear and control affect a victim’s decisions.
  • The voice of the victim must be represented appropriately.

SIGBI is a membership organisation which focuses on empowering women and girls to achieve their full potential and works to eliminate barriers and discriminations that hinder women’s progress.

The charity does this through its 248 clubs throughout the UK, Ireland, Malta, Asia and the Caribbean – over 200 of which are in the UK. It currently has a total of 5,150 members.

The organisation has consultancy status at the UN – with members participating in UN meetings, submitting statements and collaborating on global projects which advance gender equality.

The 16 Days of Activism, and the charity’s work on VAWG, are a part of this. Get involved here: https://sigbi.org/

“Women’s safety is not a privilege, it’s a basic human right,” Ruth concluded.

Council supports 16 Days of Activism

City Council supports 16 Days of Activism 2024

The City of Edinburgh Council is once again supporting the global 16 Days of Activism campaign.

This is an international movement aimed at raising awareness, driving advocacy, and sharing knowledge to combat gender-based violence.

Running from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, through to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the campaign calls for action on a global scale.

As part of its commitment the City Chambers was lit up orange in support of the campaign.

The Chief Executive and Leader of the Council are pleased to announce that the Council is participating in the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme, further reinforcing its broader strategy to create safer communities for women and girls.

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day and Chief Executive Paul Lawrence said:We are pleased to announce that the City of Edinburgh Council is participating in the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme as part of a wider programme of work in the City to promote gender equality and to prevent and eradicate discrimination and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). This falls within Edinburgh’s wider commitment to implementing Equally Safe.

“Gender inequality in society is a cause and consequence of VAWG, and women’s market labour inequality is one of the ways this is expressed in society. To prevent VAWG, we must tackle gender inequality in society. The Council as an employer is committed to addressing and eradicating the ways in which social gender inequality plays out in the workplace.

“As one of the largest employers in Edinburgh we are committed to progressing gender equality in the workplace, and the Equally Safe at Work Programme provides us with the tools to make meaningful change for all employees in the organisation, particularly women.

“We will be undertaking a number of activities to progress gender equality for our colleagues and better support victim-survivors of violence against women (VAW) at work. This includes reviewing our equality policy, introducing a specific gender-based violence policy, looking at recruitment and progression practices and pathways, and providing relevant learning and development opportunities.

“We’ll do more to raise awareness of gender equality and violence against women and work to address occupational gender segregation – undertaking pilot projects to change the workforce profile where roles are seen as traditionally male- or female-dominated.

“It’s important that all employees in the workplace feel safe and supported. While women and girls are at greatest risk of gender-based violence, we know that boys, men, transgender and non-binary people are also affected – the work we do will benefit everyone.

“It’s also important that we take an approach that recognises that women have different experiences of employment, and this is shaped by multiple, intersecting inequalities and discriminations that overlap to create different levels of inequality. We recognise that individuals face unique challenges and discrimination based on the intersection of their gender, race, ethnicity, disability, economic disadvantage, religion, sexual orientation and other social identities. 

“We’ll continue to work to address disadvantage including pay gap intersectionality through our commitments in our new Workforce Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2024 to 2028.

“Equally Safe at Work will enable the City of Edinburgh Council to develop initiatives and practices that better reflect the needs of all employees in the organisation and align with our Behaviours and our commitment to implementing the Equally Safe strategy across the City.

“We will ensure that the changes we make are sustainable, creating and maintaining a more inclusive culture where women feel safe at work and empowered to lead in their own careers and raise any concerns or complaints they may have.

“We will be working to embed this work throughout the organisation and consistently review the changes to ensure they still reflect the needs of the organisation and our colleagues.

“Making sure that women, who are the vast majority of City of Edinburgh Council employees are safe, supported and included in the workplace is not just a commitment- it’s common sense.

“We want all colleagues to have the tools, resources and support they need to perform their best and to feel fulfilled from their work within the Council.”

More young people helped to spot signs of abuse

Engagement to tackle gendered violence highlighted at start of 16 Days

More than 27,000 young people have benefited from education and awareness-raising sessions on tackling gender-based violence over six months, thanks to 45 grassroots organisations across Scotland.

The latest Delivering Equally Safe impact report, published by Inspiring Scotland, shows that the number of young people accessing sessions on issues including consent and gender equality through these organisations is increasing. The report also includes data on the number of people who have received frontline support, and the type of support provided.

The report publication comes as the global 16 Days of Activism campaign gets underway. To mark the start of the campaign, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart visited Monklands Women’s Aid in Airdrie to hear about their vital work to support women, children and young people.

Ms Stewart said: “Preventing violence against women and girls is key to creating a society where women and girls can live safely. I am proud to be supporting the 16 Days of Activism campaign to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls.  

“Thanks to organisations supported by our Delivering Equally Safe fund, workshops supporting young people to understand consent, healthy relationships and the signs of abusive behaviour have reached more than 27,000 young people.

“In the two years since Delivering Equally Safe started, nearly 17,000 children and young people have engaged in frontline funded support.

“Among the organisations providing frontline support is Monklands Women’s Aid, whose work to address both traditional and emerging forms of violence against women and girls is vital and innovative.”

Monklands Women’s Aid Chairperson, Christine Buckel said: “Grassroots organisations like Monkland’s Women’s Aid are the backbone of community support for those facing the trauma of domestic abuse.

“Our integrated approach ensures women, children, and young people receive tailored support when they need it most. Most importantly, we listen to and respond to those we serve, ensuring that their voices shape the services that make a real difference in their lives.

“The Delivering Equally Safe programme fund provides vital funding that enabled the organisation to deliver frontline domestic abuse interventions to 1,571 people since October 2021.”

Delivering Equally Safe impact report

Preventing gender-based violence for the next generation

First Minister: “Engaging young people is key to ending abuse”

Ahead of the global 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, First Minister John Swinney has highlighted the importance of engaging and educating young people on the importance of healthy and respectful relationships.

A report showing the progress that organisations have made to prevent abuse and support survivors will be published today (Monday 25 November). This will highlight an increase in the number of children and young people who have accessed education and awareness-raising workshops.

The organisations delivering these workshops have all received funding through the Scottish Government’s Delivering Equally Safe programme, which aims to eradicate violence against women and girls.

On Friday (22 November), First Minister John Swinney joined an event in Perth to raise awareness of the 16 Days of Activism campaign.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Gender-based abuse and violence has no place in modern Scotland and we are committed to eradicating it.

“As First Minister, but also as a husband and a father, I am proud to support the 16 Days of Activism campaign and recognise the vital role that men need to play in tackling violence against women and girls, including challenging abusive behaviour wherever it occurs.

“The Scottish theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism is “Imagine a Scotland without Gender-Based Violence”, and the only way we can realise that is by ensuring the next generation are equipped to spot abusive behaviour and call it out.”

Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Our focus is on preventing abuse before it occurs, as well as improving support services for survivors and ensuring the justice response is robust and well-equipped to deal with abuse when it occurs.

“The work that grassroots organisations across the country are delivering to teach young people about consent and healthy relationships and empower them to stand against harmful gender stereotypes is vital. We are determined to help them build on that progress.

“This is at the heart of building the kind of society we want to see, where everyone can live free from gender-based violence.”

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls (VAWG). It runs from 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day.  

Violence against women happens in every country and culture, causing harm to millions of women and girls. Risks and challenges to access care increase even more for women and girls living in humanitarian emergencies. Around the world today, prolonged and intense conflicts have resulted in a continuous rise in of all forms of gender-based violence.  

WHO plays an active role in strengthening health systems and local health partner capacity to prevent and respond to VAWG in humanitarian emergencies. In addition, WHO is calling for all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect women and girls from gender-based violence and ensure access to essential health services.  

City supports UN’s Women’s16 Days of Activism campaign

The Edinburgh chapter of a 16-day global initiative that aims to end gender-based violence launches today. The UN’s Women’s 16 Days of Activism campaign will see a range of events held across the world in the lead-up to Human Rights Day on 10th December. Continue reading City supports UN’s Women’s16 Days of Activism campaign