New plans to make West Oxfordshire safe for women and girls approved
Backing by Elmore Community Service for a move to tackle violence against women and girls has resulted in the unanimous approval of the following cross-party motion by elected members of West Oxfordshire District Council on 27 October 2021 to galvanise action in four important areas:
Making West Oxfordshire a district free from harassment and violence against women and girls by calling on the District Council to do everything in its power.
Work with the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner to report on the success of Thames Valley Police in tackling street violence against women and girls to the existing cross-party panel of councillors (the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel).
Draw on the skills, knowledge, and experience of local agencies to establish a working group to design and implement a Rural Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy which can sit within the existing Community Safety Partnership.
Send the message that tackling violence against women and girls is not a ‘women’s issue’ alone, but a matter which requires the allyship of men in achieving a culture change.
As a mental health, complex needs, and domestic abuse charity supporting women and girls experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation in West Oxfordshire and the county, Elmore had backed the motion.
New data from the Charity shows that Elmore, across all services, has been supporting 237 female clients in the eighteen months since the first national lockdown on 23 March 2020, and 112 of these have reported being a victim of sexual violence and/or domestic abuse. This number is nearly half (47.3%) of all the female clients supported by Elmore’s floating support team over the same time period. It includes reporting of abuse and violence before and/or during the pandemic period.
Left: Number of female clients (supported 23 March 2020 to 20 October 2021) recording sexual violence and/or domestic violence, where they are the victim, at any point during time with Elmore’s Floating Support.
Right: % of all female clients (supported 23 March 2020 to 20 October 2021) recording sexual violence and/or domestic violence, where they are the victim, at any point during time with Elmore’s Floating Support.
Elmore delivers additional services, including a Domestic Abuse service as part of Family Solutions Plus, a model commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council to engage families. Through this service, Elmore has been supporting victims and survivors to feel safe and recover from the impacts of abuse. Elmore works with perpetrators of domestic abuse in group and individual settings to recognise, acknowledge, and change harmful and controlling behaviours. Elmore’s team of 11 domestic abuse workers has routinely worked with a live caseload of more than 90 individuals since early 2021.
For Anti-Slavery Day 2021, Elmore published a major independent evaluation of its Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) service. The findings highlight that clients were aged between 17 and 50 years at the point of referral into the service and most (82%) were female. New Beginnings was found to have impacted on clients and society broadly, including support to survivors that enabled them to give evidence and secure the successful conviction of offenders, which prevented offenders from exploiting further victims and ensured that financial costs incurred in preparing a case for trial were not wasted.
For Black History Month 2021, Elmore released a new podcast series for and by minoritised communities which partly focused on domestic abuse and sexual violence and getting support. The series was funded by the Office of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner and produced with Oxford Against Cutting and Oxford Safer Communities Partnership.
Tom Hayes, Chief Executive of Elmore Community Services, said: “The safety of women and girls is a priority. It is unacceptable that women and girls are subject to harassment, abuse, and violence. As new data from Elmore shows that just one of our teams has been supporting 237 female clients in the eighteen months since the first national lockdown on 23 March 2020, and 112 of these have reported being a victim of sexual violence and/or domestic abuse, we welcome the support of Councillors on West Oxfordshire District Council to strengthen the protection of victims and prevention of abhorrent crimes of harassment, abuse, and violence. We welcome the commitment and support of the Police and Crime Commissioner on this important issue.”