Tackling violence against women and girls
We are committed to tackling violence against women and girls led by our Safer and Stronger Communities Strategic Partnership.
Abuse and violence against women and girls can include a range of experiences and crimes such as:
- serious violence
- stalking
- harassment
- verbal abuse
- drink and drug spiking
Help stop abuse
Abuse of women and girls can be emotional, physical, sexual or financial. It can be words or actions at home or in the street.
The government’s Enough campaign aims to encourage everyone to recognise abusive and harmful behaviour against women and girls and to call it out when we see it.
Look for these key signs:
- does the person look uncomfortable or upset?
- are they trying to escape or move away?
- do they seem frightened?
- when you make eye contact, do they respond in a way that makes you think they want help?
Find out 4 simple ways to intervene safely when you witness acts of abuse on the Enough campaign’s website.
Report an incident of violence, harassment or crime
Call 999 in an emergency or if anyone is at risk of immediate harm. You will be connected to a phone operator who will ask which service you need.
The non-emergency number for Avon and Somerset Police is 101.
If you do not want to call the police you can complete their online form to report a crime or incident.
Be Street Safe
You can use the government’s Street Safe app to anonymously to report to the police about public places where you have felt or feel unsafe.
This could be because you have been followed or verbally abused or because of issues such as poor street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism.
Some police forces are using data from the app to inform policing decisions. Women and girls are using it to help them make decisions about the routes they choose to take.
Have your say
South Gloucestershire is a safe place to live and work compared to the national picture but we recognise that not everyone feels safe.
We want to understand why this is and what we can do to help women and girls feel safe.
We recently asked people to tell us their experiences and how they think violence against women and girls can be addressed. Our survey is now closed but we will be sharing the results very soon.
These results will help shape our forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy for South Gloucestershire.