Supporting 16 Days of Action against domestic violence

The day, is also known as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.

It marks the start of the 16 days of action to work towards the prevention and the end of violence against women and girls.

It is said that one in four women and one in seven men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. 

In Havering, there were 4,480 incidents of domestic abuse reported from April 2019 to April 2020.

There were 4,410 incidents reported from April 2020 to April 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of referrals into the Council’s domestic abuse support services continue to be the highest they have ever been.

As part of the 16 days of action, the Council will be hosting a special webinar for staff and partners working with the Council against domestic violence.

There will also be support of  the national campaign in promoting awareness.

Councillor Viddy Persaud, Havering’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Safety, said:

“We are continuing to support White Ribbon Day and the 16 Days of Action.

"We will look to do everything we can to support those affected by domestic abuse in our borough.

“The work we carry out and support with all our partners, also looks into how we can help to try and prevent it .

"This is so we can help our residents feel safe in their own homes and communities.

“We also want to give residents the confidence to report domestic violence confidentially if they think this happening to someone they know.

“Our aim is for Havering to remain a safe place to live, work and raise a family and we’re determined to help reduce domestic abuse.”

The Council’s Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVA’s) provide specialist crisis support for victims of high-risk domestic abuse.

This includes court advocacy, immediate safety planning and referrals to other specialist support. 

Havering Women’s Aid are there to offer one-to-one support to victims as well as specialist group support and counselling services.

Meanwhile, MENDAS provides support services to male victims of domestic abuse.

In April 2021, the Domestic Abuse Act received royal assent.

The act is set to help transform the response to domestic abuse, helping towards prevention of offending, protecting victims and ensuring they have the support they need.

Since it came in, the act has seen the following.

• A new legal definition of domestic abuse, which highlights children as victims in their own right. 
• It is now an offence to threaten to share intimate images and videos.
• A domestic abuse commissioner is now in post nationally to support victims in the UK.
• The monitoring of local authorities in how they respond towards victims of domestic abuse.