Public Asked for Views on Violence Against Women Strategy

The public is being asked for their views on a strategy drafted by key public agencies in Highland to work towards the prevention of violence against women.

Community Planning partners in the Highlands, including NHS Highland, The Highland Council, Northern Constabulary and the Violence Against Women Support Services in Highland have developed a joint action plan setting out how they will work together over the next four years to tackle the issue.  The consultation will run until Friday 19 June.

The partners are seeking views on the full draft strategy, which includes domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, prostitution, trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation, incest, child sexual abuse, female genital mutilation, so called ‘honour’ crimes and stalking as part of the definition of Violence Against Women.

 The strategy aims to:-
• significantly improve the range and appropriateness of services for women and children who have experienced Violence Against Women;
 
• meet the diverse needs of women and children affected by Violence Against Women;

• increase awareness and understanding that different forms of Violence Against Women are linked and that all forms are unacceptable, preventable, and by no means inevitable;

• challenge the behaviour of perpetrators and to take appropriate action against them.

The strategy builds on the previous domestic abuse strategy developed by the community planning partners to encompass all forms of violence against women.

Specific groups have already been invited to feed their views into the consultation process but the views of the wider public are welcomed.

Gillian Gunn, Violence Against Women Development and Training Officer, said: “The vision we aspire to realise is a broad one, of eradicating Violence Against Women in Highland, where women and girls are not discriminated against because of their gender; where women and men are valued equally for their contributions to society; and where women, children and young people live free from gender based violence. We want to protect those affected by gender based violence by increasing conviction rates for perpetrators; improving the personal safety of those experiencing violence; reducing homelessness as a result of violence and ensuring women have 24/7 access to safe housing in emergency situations.”

The consultation is available via the home page of the community partners’ web site: www.highlandlife.net.

Responses to the consultation should be sent to: Gillian Gunn, Violence Against Women Development and Training Officer, Assynt House, Beechwood Business Park, Inverness IV2 3BW or email: Gillian.gunn@hhb.scot.nhs.uk.