Elmore marks White Ribbon Day to end male violence against women
White Ribbon Day happens every November as part of the UN’s annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
The global movement works to end men’s violence against women by raising awareness against the issue, educating boys and men as well as encouraging people to come together to put an end to it.
Each year, the event focuses on a specific theme or message, and this year is it #AllMenCan, which was started in March of this year, after the assault and murder of Sarah Everard brought to light the experiences of many women who had faced violence or threat from men.
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: “It is unacceptable that women and girls are subject to harassment, abuse, and violence. We support White Ribbon Day because the safety of women and girls is a priority for everyone at Elmore.”