White Ribbon Day: Sheffield Council’s action plan to tackle violence against women

The White Ribbon campaign is a nationally recognised programme helping organisations develop three-year action plans to improve workplace culture and gender equality and help end violence against women and girls.

The council became a White Ribbon registered local authority this time last year.

It is aiming to become fully accredited with this action plan that is expected to be approved in a strategy and resources committee meeting on Wednesday, October 18 – in time for the White Ribbon awareness day on November 25.

In a council document outlining the work, officers said: “The problem does not stop with physical violence. It includes other forms of emotional violence and psychological – from sexist joking, to sexual harassment at work, to other domineering forms of behaviour. By remaining silent about these things, some men are allowed to poison our communities and working and learning environments.”

Around 6,000 people seek support from domestic abuse services in Sheffield every year and around 90 per cent of them are women, the council said.

The authority also said there were 19 domestic homicides in Sheffield since 2011 and of these, in 17 cases the abuser was a man.

Officers said: “We know that much violence against women and girls is not reported or disclosed to agencies and sadly for some it is part of everyday life, something they just put up with. This could range from street harassment, or sexual harassment at work to rape.”

Officers said everyone at the council had a role to play in the action plan and work would be monitored by an officer steering group.

“In signing up to the White Ribbon Campaign the council has recognised that everyone, but especially men and boys, can play a part in challenging and ending violence against women and girls,” the authority said.

The plan outlines how the council will work toward ending violence against women and girls over the next three years.

It focuses on four overarching areas which are strategic leadership, engaging men and boys, changing culture and raising awareness.

It includes reviewing reporting and disciplinary processes, developing services to change perpetrators’ behaviour, improving staff training and ensuring there is adequate housing services for people fleeing domestic abuse.