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No More Violence Against Women Campaign

Why is the WI campaigning for no more violence against women?
Three million women across the UK experience rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, sexual exploitation and other forms of violence and abuse each year. The impact ranges from physical injury, including death in extreme cases, to long-term mental health problems, social exclusion and substance misuse.

Despite its prevalence many people are unaware that violence against women could be affecting someone in their family, on their street or in their village.

The WI is working to raise public awareness about the nature, extent and impact of violence against women (VAW) and is a member of the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) campaigning coalition.

The campaign so far
Want to know what you can do?

The campaign has focused on raising awareness of violence against women in rural areas and calling for better access to services to help women in the countryside seek support and justice.

WI members have been active; raising awareness in their own communities by distributing leaflets, writing to their MPs and holding public meetings. Some WIs have also linked up with local women's services to offer practical help and support.

The NFWI commissioned research from Bristol University into violence against women in rural and urban areas to gain a better understanding of the issues facing women in the countryside. The research found that urban and rural women suffered the same degree of violence but people continue to perceive that it is more common in urban areas. The report also warned that women in towns and villages struggle to access the services they trust most to tackle violence, but rural women have additional problems, including confidentiality and lack of access to transport.

The report, "Violence Against Women in Rural and Urban Areas", can be viewed by clicking on the image below.

Click to launch the full edition in a new window.
A power point presentation of the main findings is also available for members.

As part of the EVAW coalition, the NFWI has been working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to highlight the postcode lottery of specialist VAW support services, through the Map of Gaps report. This found that one in four local authorities lack any specialist support services. The majority of these cover rural areas.

To protest against the patchy provision of services the NFWI has made a Map of Gaps quilt. WI members have submitted patches of fabric which were sewn into the quilt to represent the "patchy" levels of support and justice available to women across the country.

The NFWI has supported EVAW's campaign for an integrated Violence Against Women strategy and we were delighted to see it succesfully launched in November 2009. More than 22,000 WI members signed a petition calling for a strategy and the NFWI worked hard to ensure the finished document represented the needs of rural women. More than 1,400 WI members responded to a survey as part of the NFWI's consultation response, calling for a range of measures focusing on prevention and the challenges facing more remote communities.

WI members inundated Hilary Benn MP, the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, with letters reminding him that support for women is a vital issue for rural communities, and urged his department to sign up to the strategy. His response to Ruth Bond can be downloaded here. We are delighted that the published strategy acknowledges there are no differences between domestic violence, rape and stalking in urban and rural areas.

The campaign will now focus on local authorities, calling on them to fund services for women in rural areas. A briefing and template letter is available to help WI members write to their local authority to raise awareness of the need for specialist violence against women support services.
What you can do
1. Lobby your local authority for more support
Local Authorities are responsible for commissioning violence against women services but many women, especially in rural areas, are unable to access high quality support and service providers say they are struggling to secure funding. Write to your local authority to call for more support for women's essential services.

2. Rise up against Violence Against Women
WI members from across England and Wales will be meeting in London on 6 March 2010 for the Million Women Rise walk to highlight violence against women. For more information please contact Kate Webb.

3. Tell the government how to better support rape victims
The government has appointed Baroness Stern to conduct an independent review of rape complaints. If you have been affected by rape please consider taking the time to fill out the online survey and tell the government how treatment for rape victims could be improved.

4. Discover what support services are available in your area
Visit the Map of Gaps website to find out what specialised support services are available in your area. Did you know the Equality and Human Rights Commission has threatened legal action against 100 local authorities because of a lack of services? If women in your community are being badly served write to your local authority to tell them your concerns.

5. Hold public meetings on the issue
By talking about the issue openly you can raise awareness that it is a problem that can affect anyone woman and remove some of the damaging stigma around it. The Public Affairs department can suggest Women's Aid speakers who may be willing to travel to local meetings, but you could also try the local police force, your MP or local campaigners.

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Get involved with the campaign!

Would you like to pledge your support to the campaign? If so, please contact us giving your name and telephone number. We will add you to the supporters list, meaning you receive all campaign updates including information on how to get involved with the campaign.

If you are at risk of domestic violence or are concerned about a friend or relative please ring the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 for confidential advice and support. You can also download the Home Office's leaflet on how to support a friend.