The new Violence Against Women and Girls Commission has this week agreed a series of evidence sessions to further understand what is being done to combat violence against women and girls in Plymouth and understand what innovative work is taking place in the city and beyond.
At yesterday’s meeting (19 January), members considered what areas they would like to focus on moving forward. Over the next few weeks, they will be inviting evidence from experts and local organisations regarding:
- The role of men and boys
- Culture
- Children and young people
- Places and spaces
The sessions will consider what the issues are, what is already being done, and what needs to be done in the future.
The Commission also agreed to hold an ‘Innovation’ session. Where people and organisations, both locally and nationally will be asked to come and ‘pitch’ to the Commission around things they are delivering to combat violence against women and girls, that show innovation in practice. If you would like to submit a pitch for that session, please email VAWG@plymouth.gov.uk
Councillor Rebecca Smith, Chair of the Violence Against Women and Girls Commission for Plymouth, said: “The Commission is working at pace to really get under the skin of the issues in Plymouth. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to groups and organisations to give evidence to panels of Commission members on the key areas we believe need to be considered.
“We are also keen to look at best practice. There is a lot of great work in Plymouth and indeed the rest of the country, and we want to learn from that work. If you are an organisation that has an innovative approach to tackling some of these issues – please come forward.
“With the insight from these sessions, along with the feedback from our current live survey and the other outreach work we are planning, particularly with children and young people, we will have a wider understanding of what we need to do to make Plymouth a safer place for all women and girls.”
If you would like to input your thoughts and experiences into the work of the Commission, please tell us in our survey. The deadline is the 15th February 2022.
More information about the Violence Against Women and Girls Commission.