Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Call for Evidence

[TheRabbitOfCaerbannog]

The Home Office has reopened the Violence Against Women and Girls survey in light of the events of this week and the stories shared by women online. Runs until 26th March.

"We are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s next Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy."

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-call-for-evidence

Excellent!

Oh that's good.

This is the survey, which I've already done but it might be worth pointing out that you should fill in all the boxes which are available for comment because some found that the end came up too quickly and you couldn't backtrack. Say what you want to say where ever you can

Thanks useful to know

I'm still split on whether I found Jessica Taylor's survey cathartic or if it's made be unspeakably angry with myself that it would never have occurred to me to report most of that stuff. (This is not a criticism of JT's survey - it's more the self-reflection it prompted.)

Except that I belatedly remembered that I do report flashers in isolated areas in case it's part of a nuisance pattern for which the police should be aware. And every time I've been told that flashers never escalate even when I've known all the research that says that, no - not all of them do, but flashing is in the background of a lot of offenders.

I'll fill this in.

Done. I put this in the 'anything else you want us to know' box. I am so ANGRY abput this today.

I am 42. I have never been raped or seriously sexually assaulted. I have been:
Followed
Catcalled (from the age of around 13)
Groped
Intimidated (cornered by 2 men on an almost empty train carriage when i was 17. The only other person in the carriage, a man, told me to run home when i got off).
Had sexual comments made to me about my developing body by a local shopkeeper when i was 12 or 13.
Been flashed at.
Locked in a bathroom with a teenage boy who refused to let me leave unless i let him perform oral sex on me. I managed to persuade him to let me leave and pretended that it was just a joke when i saw him at school.
Harassed in a cafe by a man who I asked - politely but clearly - to leave me alone. He refused and told me i was unfriendly. Until he saw my wedding ring - then he apologised and said he would never have approached me if hed known i was 'taken'.

I have also been told - mainly by men - that i worry too much about things like walking or running alone on quiet streets.

None of my experiences are unusual. They are quite normal. I wouldnt have reported any of then because what would the police have said or done? Nothing. But my life, as for most women, has been shaped by these experiences and causes me to feel fear on a regular basis. Low - level fear is a resting state for many women.

None of my experiences are unusual. They are quite normal.

Thanks for sharing your story Larry. It's depressingly familiar to me. There was a period at secondary school when we were groped and harrassed on a daily basis. There was a very serious incident while I was there that was hushed up. That was just the start of numerous horrible experiences and you're right we do normalise it, that's just boys/ men isn't it? Bloody well shouldn't be.

bump

Maybe the title needs to say complete the survey ?

Thank you - I've filled it in and shared.

Bump

Thanks for sharing this link,I've completed it.

Very powerful newsletter from Caroline Criado Perez:

This week, seeing how upset and shaken I was about the disappearance of Sarah Everard, who we now know has been killed, a police officer charged with her murder, my partner asked me what he could do to make me feel better. And the honest answer came bubbling up out of me. Take away the last twenty-seven years (because I was a lucky girl who was allowed to get through her early childhood without learning to fear men) and let me relive them without the fear. Let me experience my adolescence without being grabbed and followed. Let me as an adult woman, living on her own in London, walk home at night without that ever-present gnawing fear, those furtive checks over the shoulder, the quickening heart rate at the moving shadows. I suddenly felt so furious that this was how I had to live my life. My one life. And we spend it in fear.

The question about 'what do you think is a crime' at the start. Does it mean under current UK Law, or what you think should be a crime? Thanks

CCP explains it very well. Thanks for sharing Embarrassing .

I filled it in and accidentally lost the end of the survey with all the recommended support organisations, which seem to be mostly not for women - ? At least two were for male victims of domestic violence (which is fine but why at the end of a survey about VAWG?). Any way to access that last page again? Or can someone screenshot it?

Bumping

I've filled it in. I think there were three points where you could write comments of about 3-4000 words. I was so angry that I ended up writing a lot.

I did make a point of using the term male violence, which seemed to be missing, because it's men we are talking about here. I think there was an annoying gender, rather than sex, Q at the end too.

I cant remember if this was in the explanation when they first opened this survey but this time round they say it is "open to all genders".

So now women cant even have their own space to report back the violence and / or threat of violence women face from the day they were born. Nor forgetting those female embryos aborted under family pressure on women to give birth to boys.

filled it in and accidentally lost the end of the survey with all the recommended support organisations, which seem to be mostly not for women - ? At least two were for male victims of domestic violence (which is fine but why at the end of a survey about VAWG?).

Yes I thought that was odd too.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

filled it in and accidentally lost the end of the survey with all the recommended support organisations, which seem to be mostly not for women - ? At least two were for male victims of domestic violence (which is fine but why at the end of a survey about VAWG?).

Yes I thought that was odd too.

Thanks for confirming that I didn't imagine it. Southall Black Sisters was there but there was lots of talk in the blurbs about people rather than women, plus two services explicitly for men.

This is why I don't do this sort of thing on my phone. I was scrolling around all over the place to get a look at all the details (it was a very long list iirc) and accidentally swiped the screen to the side and couldn't get it back again.

I filled it earlier after hearing about on the radio. It was hard going I was tired and nearly gave up a few times. It was not the easiest thing to fill in. Saying I agree or not to various statements.

I was expecting it to ask about personal experiences or how common they are. It was also open for anyone to complete. We know we keep hearing from men saying they had no idea what happenings so not sure gathering their options on nothing is a problem helps.

I did add some ideas in one box but was hard when couldn’t tell which page was the end or if they were going ask more in depth questions. Not sure how much good it will do.

I also clocked all the men only support at the end. Think was 5/12. Not against some support for men but this was asking about women’s experiences.