Rugby star supports SAY NO campaign

Today marks the launch of an international campaign aiming to end violence against women.
The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence has pledged to support the White Ribbon Campaign, which urges men in the county to pledge never to condone or accept violence against women in any form.

Entitled The 16 Days of Action, the campaign will run until Tuesday, December 10.
Among those backing the campaign are the Worcester Wolves basketball team, former Worcester Warriors star Craig Gillies and Worcester City Council.
On Thursday dozens of men donned heels for a mile long walk in support of the campaign.
Mr Gillies said he was supporting the campaign for the second year.
“It's certainly a worthy cause,” he said. 

“It’s not something I've had personal experience of thankfully but it is an issue I've always felt a strong connection with. 

“Nobody should act that way towards a loved one.”

Martin Lakeman, strategic co-ordinator for the forum, said: “The 16 Days of Action was originally launched in Canada in 1991.

“The dates are symbolic, in that November 25 is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day and December 10 is International Human Rights Day.
“It’s an important event, as it helps to highlight what can be done to tackle violence against men, women and children at a local level, supported by events and activities throughout the world.”
Today’s launch event, at the University of Worcester, features Worcester’s Poet Laureate, Holly-Anne Perrett, as well as representatives from the Worcester Wolves, university students and staff, the Mayor of Worcester Pat Agar and High Sheriff Nicholas Wentworth-Stanley and his wife Millie.

After the launch event, Deputy Lieutenant Lady Susanne McFarlane will visit the Glade in Bransford – home to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) – to tie a ribbon around the tree that Lord Lieutenant Lady Darnley planted 12 months ago.

Today also marks the official launch of the forum’s new website, where men can sign up and make their pledge, with the campaign – backed by your Worcester News – targeting 10,000 commitments before the end of the 16 days.

Mr Lakeman said: “Since the 16 Days campaign began in 1991, more than 2,000 organisations in 156 countries have taken part in a bid to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women.

“Worcestershire fully supports this ethos and is working hard locally to raise awareness and open up the channels of communication regarding what is so often a hidden issue.
“We are heartened by the level of support and interest that The 16 Days of Action campaign receives locally.

“We work hard all year round to raise awareness of the misery that domestic abuse causes to families throughout Worcestershire.

"However an event such as this really helps bring it to the forefront of people’s minds.
“Raising awareness of what is so often a hidden issue is vital in addressing – and ultimately overcoming – domestic abuse. The simple message is, do not suffer in silence.”
Visit whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/worcestershire to make your pledge, and tweet using #whiteribbonworcs to feature at worcesternews.co.uk/whiteribbon.

For further information about the Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.


To call in confidence about domestic abuse, call 0800 9803331. 

Lady McFarlane joins The Glade to support White Ribbon Day

The Glade Sexual Assault Referral Centre is today 25 November 2013 welcoming Lady Susanna McFarlane, the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire to join them and partners to mark White Ribbon Day – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Emma Durmaz - SARC Manager & Forensic Nurse Examiner said "We are delighted that Lady McFarlane will be joining us as a special guest alongside police, and other partners to mark White Ribbon Day and to coincide with the launch day of 16 Days of Action against gender based violence.

"The day is even more important because it is also our first anniversary and Lady McFarlane will be tying the White Ribbon around the tree that Lord Lieutenant Lady Darnley planted a year ago to commemorate the opening of the Centre."

Since opening on 25 November 2012, The Glade’s two centres based in Worcestershire and Telford have helped 239 men, women and children who have been raped or sexually assaulted find the support they require.

The event will also include a tour of the SARC to raise awareness of the support that is available to men, women and children as we want to encourage more people who have been raped or seriously sexually assaulted to come forward and seek help.

Emma continued "The Glade is open 24/7 to support you whether the assault has just happened or happened some time ago maybe when you were a child. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 0808 178 2058 as we can offer immediate support and medical attention to check your health and well-being as well as longer term counselling and other services to help you come to terms with what has happened to you. Please do not keep it to yourself, we have helped many people and you are not on your own.

"Deciding what to do next is a difficult decision for anyone but we want to help you by explaining and supporting you through the options available.

It can take some people a lifetime before they seek help and report a rape to the police or other agency. Please remember, it is never too late. This is normal.

One option is to assist the police by providing forensic evidence and information anonymously. This means you will not be identified to the police.

Any information you pass on helps the police to track crime patterns and build a profile of a perpetrator that could assist other similar investigations. However the Police cannot prosecute anyone for your assault without your support.

If you are unsure, we can arrange an informal chat with the police without them knowing who you are. We will support you through this, but it is your decision.

If you do decide to report an assault to the Police your identity will remain anonymous. The law protects you by giving anonymity to victims of sexual assault for your lifetime. This means that no information likely to lead to your identification as a victim can be published or broadcast.

The International Day for the elimination of Violence Against Women, also known as White Ribbon Day is an opportunity for people around the world to speak out, stand up and wear a ribbon for the women in their lives by pledging never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence towards them.

Supt Graeme Pallister said "If you know anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted, please urge them to seek help by talking to someone about what has happened to them. There are many agencies that want to help.

"We would ask men in the region to show their support of the women in their lives by visiting www.stoprapenow.co.uk to check they and their friends fully understand consent.

White Ribbon Day is about ending violence against women, but we are here to help and support men and children who can be raped too.

The www.stoprapenow.co.uk campaign was launched in June 2013 by police, health, councils and support agencies across the Warwickshire and West Mercia region.

Former Head of CEOP backs campaign

Jim Gamble the founder and former Head of The Child Exploitation Online Protection Service (CEOP) has lent his support to the Worcestershire Forum against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence's SAY NO to domestic abuse and sexual violence campaign which runs from the 25^th November to the 10^th December. 

Known nationally at the White Ribbon campaign, Worcestershire is seeking to secure 10,000 pledges of support. Mr Gamble was also previously the national lead for both Child Protection and Domestic Abuse, said he was delighted to be able to support the campaign. He was the keynote speaker at a conference held in Worcestershire on 8^th November which focused around sexual exploitation. 

To find out more about the campaign and make your pledge go to www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/worcestershire

Teenspeak Campaign

The voices of children and young people, their experiences and needs are an integral part of the work done at Women’s Aid. We want to ensure that approaches from services and policies consistently includes the views of children and young people affected by domestic violence, especially during times where external changes may have an impact on their daily lives when dealing with domestic abuse.

Teenspeak’ is a campaign we developed that enables young people affected by domestic abuse, including intimate partner violence, to voice their concerns and needs to policy makers and professionals actively involved in addressing violence against women and girls and hear their response.

We collected questions from young people who have experienced domestic abuse from across England. The questions were used in interviews of five leading people in education, government and criminal justice, which were filmed by 3 young survivors and made into 5 short films with the dedicated support from VividEcho and funding from the BBC Children In Need.

We are very excited to be launching the Teenspeak films at the Refuge in Film festival on the 1^st November at the British Film Institute, South Bank.

The Teenspeak series of short films

Film 1 : Domestic Abuse- Introduction

Film 2 : Domestic Abuse- The Law

Film 3 : Domestic Abuse- Education

Film 4 : Domestic Abuse- Practical Information

Film 5 : Domestic Abuse- What can we do now?

All the interviews will be placed on The Hideout, a Women’s Aid website which helps children and young people to understand domestic abuse and provides advice on how to take positive action if they are experiencing it. Young people will have an opportunity to comment on the interviews. This educational resource can also be used as an extension activity to our Expect Respect Toolkit and Can You See Me? DVD and educational toolkit which focuses on intimate partner violence.

We are keen to have the views of young people about the information provided in the short films, and will be uploading then on the Women’s Aid Youtube where they can leave comments and questions.

We would be grateful if you could promote the films to your networks and post them on your site!

For any further information, please contact the Women’s Aid National Children and Young Person officer, Thienhuong Nguyen, t.nguyen@womensaid.org.uk

ChildLine tackling sexting with Internet Watch Foundation

New initiative by ChildLine and the Internet Watch Foundation in relation to “sexting.”  This partnership follows a ChildLine survey of 13-18 year olds which found that young people are often taking significant risks by making and sending sexual images of themselves on the internet or through mobile phones.
The partnership with IWF means that ChildLine can help young people verify their age before logging a complaint to get an image removed swiftly and efficiently.

ChildLine has also developed an app for young people, which is designed to help them diffuse pressures on them to send an explicit image.  The app, called Zipit, offers witty images to send instead of explicit ones and provides advice on how to engage in safe chat and what to do if you are threatened.  The app will be available later this month.

The NSPCC is complementing the ChildLine initiative by providing advice to parents and carers on what they can do to advise and support their children in relation to “sexting.”  Many children and young people are more savvy about internet and mobile phone technology than their parents, so the advice, posted on the NSPCC website, will enable parents to take action.

Detailed information on this initiative is provided on the NSPCC website.

New iPhone App

The Forum are pleased to announce that through Respect not Fear the release of their iPhone and iPod App promoting Healthy Relationships.

Young people in Worcestershire who want to access information really quickly and quite often used their mobile phones to do this. This inspired Respect not Fear to get creative and innovative so the idea of an App emerged.

Respect not Fear worked very closely with young people to ensure the app had features that they felt other young people would find useful and fun. Our thanks go to a group of young women in Nottingham who designed all the art work that is featured on the App.

The App is a smaller version of the Respect not fear website (accessed via the Children and Young People tab) on the forum website www.worcestershiredomesticandsexualabuse.co.uk and contains information about relationships. Once downloaded it can provide a young person with instant access to important information and support services. It also has the pledge, pyramid and respect'o'meter games that can be played.


The best feature of this App is that it is FREE to download! So go to the Apple App store, search for Respect Not Fear and get downloading now! 

Awards for excellence in fight against domestic abuse

Two outstanding individuals have been recognised for their work in tackling domestic abuse.
The accolades – presented by The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse – were awarded to Jemma Price from West Mercia Women’s Aid and Sarah Chapman, web developer at Worcestershire County Council.

Jemma has been honoured for her work in heading up the CRUSH project, a local initiative that – due to its success – will be rolled out nationally across the UK later this year.

Jemma Price and Martin Lakeman

Charlotte Woodward – also from West Mercia Women’s Aid -developed the CRUSH Project which was launched in October 2011. Funded by the Big Lottery’s Young People’s Fund it helps teenagers, aged 13 to 19 years, to avoid abusive relationships, end an abusive relationship safely or better manage their exposure to domestic abuse in the household in which they live.

Since its launch, CRUSH has gone from strength to strength. Since June 2012 it has been running throughout West Mercia and has offered places to more than 250 young people.  In addition, organisations ran ‘closed’ groups throughout the area for 130 further young people.  CRUSH presentations have been delivered to a variety of professional bodies which work with young people, including West Mercia Police – these presentations have reached more than 3000 children and young people.

85 per cent of those that have completed the CRUSH programme have reported a change in attitude towards relationships in the following areas :

• Ways men and women behave in relationships;
• What to expect from a partner;
• Expectations about a partner;
• Ways you behave to the opposite sex;
• Ways you behave towards your partner;
• Ways you behave towards your parents;
• Ways you deal with the impact of domestic abuse on you.

Notably, young people reported changed attitudes towards their own relationships, with more than a third receiving support.  It is clear from young people’s feedback that they both want and need information about abuse in relationships and that they are frequently not getting this from elsewhere.
CRUSH helps young people learn through the experiences of fictional characters that they create and guide through a number of typical teenage scenarios, culminating in how to deal with an abusive relationship.  The programme is specifically designed to complement the subject matter around domestic abuse, healthy relationships and gender bullying that may take place in schools’ PSHE/Citizenship curriculums or initiatives such as Expect Respect.

Jemma said : “I am absolutely delighted to have been presented with an award for West Mercia Women’s Aid CRUSH project; it is testimony to the positive and enduring impact it has on those young people who take part.”

“The statistics surrounding sexual abuse, intimidation and violence in teenage intimate relationships are frightening.  Both nationally and locally we are hopeful that this situation can change.

“Nationally, research shows that teenage girls between 16 and 19 are now the group most at risk of domestic violence, closely followed by women aged 20-24.

“And locally, the CRUSH Project provides teenagers with the emotional and practical knowledge they need to recognise and deal with and successfully move on from abusive relationships.”

Sarah Chapman, web developer at Worcestershire County Council, has been recognised for her work in developing and launching a new and improved website to further support local victims.

The new website – www.worcestershiredomesticandsexualabuse.co.uk – was officially launched on Thursday 20 June, and offers help and guidance to women, children and men, providing a one-stop shop of local services and helplines.

The site is currently being promoted via two postcards which have been distributed across Worcestershire in places such as libraries, schools and doctor's surgeries.

Sarah Chapman and Martin Lakeman

Easy to navigate, the new website includes information on the following :

• Domestic abuse
• Sexual violence
• Children and young people
• Forced marriage
• Stalking
• Support services
• Worrying behaviour
• Keeping safe
• Internet safety

Sarah said : “Working with The Forum to develop such an important tool in its fight against domestic abuse has been so rewarding.  The new site aims to encourage victims to come forward and seek advice; we hope that visitors to the website will be able to find the strength to contact the many agencies that are here to help.”
Martin Lakeman, Strategic Co-ordinator for The Forum said: “Celebrating the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of individuals is an important part of our work. By recognising such individuals it not only raises awareness of excellence but importantly highlights the issue of domestic abuse and sexual violence that we are working so hard to tackle.  Our congratulations to them both!”

The awards were presented by Martin to Jemma and Sarah at a ceremony earlier this month.
For further information about The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.

New website to help victims of domestic and sexual violence in Worcestershire

The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence will launch a new and improved website to further support local victims.

The new website – www.worcestershiredomesticandsexualabuse.co.uk – will be officially launched on Thursday 20 June, offering help and guidance to women, children and men, providing a one-stop shop of local services and helplines.

Martin Lakeman, Strategic Co-ordinator for The Forum explained : “The key theme running through our new website is to ensure that victims are aware of the range of specialist services / agencies that can provide both advice and support at what is a most traumatic time.  Encouraging victims to come forward and seek advice is critical in tackling these frightening issues; we hope that visitors to the website will be able to find the strength to contact the many agencies that are here to help.”

The site will be promoted via two postcards which will be distributed across Worcestershire in places such as libraries, schools, doctor's surgeries.

Easy to navigate, the new website includes information on the following :

• Domestic abuse
• Sexual violence
• Children and young people
• Forced marriage
• Stalking
• Support services
• Worrying behaviour
• Keeping safe
• Internet safety

Martin added" a key element of the site is a section devoted to survivor stories. It is vital that people suffering in silence realise they are not alone"

For further information about The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.

To call in confidence about domestic abuse call 0800 980 3331.

Sexual violence forum backs funding to support children and male victims

News of much needed funding to help victims of sexual violence has been welcomed by The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence.

The £209,004 grant has been awarded to the West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre – a Forum partner – as part of the newly launched West Mercia Commissioner’s Grant Scheme.

The funding will enable the centre to extend the ISVA – or Independent Sexual Violence Advisor – service to support children from aged 11 upwards as well as male survivors of sexual violence.

Currently there are 5 ISVAs working across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, supporting women, aged 16 and over, who have been raped or sexually abused at any time during their life.  The current ISVA service offers women the opportunity to talk in a safe and confidential environment.  As the ISVA works independently they are able to offer non-judgmental support and provide information to enable the client to make informed choices.  The ISVA completes an initial risk/safety assessment with their client and from this a support plan is agreed.  The current system works  towards empowering women and breaking down the isolation and loss of control associated with sexual violence crimes; the ISVA is also able to signpost and refer to other appropriate agencies and advocate on their client’s behalf.

Martin Lakeman, Startegic Co-ordinator for The Worcester Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence said : “Previously the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service has been a woman only service.  Extending this to include services for men and children is vital and we wholeheartedly support it.”

West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre is currently negotiating with the University of Worcester to complete an evaluation of the service over the next 12 months.  It is hoped the results will provide a strong evidence base to encourage local statutory agencies to extend the services beyond the 12 month period and also demonstrate the need to extend the current counselling service.

The majority of current referrals are received from West Mercia Police involving women who have already reported a crime.  Crucially, the ISVA system also offers the same service to women whether or not they have reported the issue to the police.  Subsequently, a number of these women who had not reported reconsidered this and made formal complaints as a result of the support they received from the ISVA.

In 2011/2012, the ISVA service received 194 referrals.  Statistics from the previous financial year show that referrals have increased by 10 per cent.

Referral sources for 2011/2012 are as follows :

• West Mercia Police – 72 per cent;
• West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre – 7 per cent;
• Self referral – 5 per cent;
• Other agencies – 4 per cent;
• Victim Support – 3 per cent;
• Women’s Aid – 2 per cent;
• Community Mental Health – 2 per cent;
• Health visitor – 1 per cent;
• Social services – 1 per cent;
• West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Helpline – 1 per cent;
• Witness care – 1 per cent;
• Other police – 1 per cent.

  Martin concluded : “These specialist workers provide a lifeline for victims at a time when they are most vulnerable and give them the courage and confidence to make informed decisions on the way forward.  Once again our message is simple, please don’t suffer in silence.”

West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre can be contacted on 01905 611 655.
For further information about The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.

To call in confidence about domestic abuse call 0800 980 3331.

Stalking conference hailed a success, say organisers

The first ever event in Worcestershire to raise awareness of a significant change in harassment law took place earlier this week.

The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence – in partnership with the University of Worcester and The Protection Against Stalking Charity – held the event to raise awareness of the new legislation and to support National Stalking Awareness Day, which takes place on Thursday 18 April.

The conference took place on Monday 15 April at The University of Worcester.

The half day event welcomed a number of high profile speakers including :

Tricia Bernal - Tricia’s daughter Clare was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, a security guard at Harvey Nichols, where Clare worked as a beauty consultant.  Tricia has worked tirelessly since the tragic death of her daughter in September 2005 to strengthen anti-stalking laws.  She is on The Association of Chief Police Officers steering group for stalking and harassment and founder of the charity Protection Against Stalking (PAS).  Tricia’s other work is for AAFDA, Advocacy after Fatal Domestic Abuse.  During the event, Tricia’s heartfelt account of her daughter’s murder and the inadequacies of the then existing system - which did nothing to protect her daughter – were profoundly moving.

Laura Richards, Criminal Behavioural Analyst and Advisor -  Laura left New Scotland Yard in 2007 to take up the role of advising The Association of Chief Police Officers after a decade of working on violent crime.  She previously set up the first Homicide Prevention Unit in the UK, as well as the Violent Crime Intelligence Unit at New Scotland Yard.

Laura developed the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour based Violence Risk Checklist (DASH 2009) on behalf of ACPO and in partnership with Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA).  Laura also initiated Multi-Agency Domestic Homicide Reviews in London in 2011 and has worked with the Home Office on developing the guidance, which was published two years ago. 

Laura co-founded the charity Protection Against Stalking (PAS) with Tricia Bernal and Carol Faruqui, whose daughters Clare and Rana were murdered by their stalkers.  Laura was also involved in setting up the National Stalking Helpline and a year later co-ordinated the UK’s first National Stalking Awareness Week in 2011.  She led and advised the all-party Parliamentary Inquiry into Stalking Law Reform, leading to two specific offences of stalking in November 2012.

Laura has been involved in many complex murder cases, assaults and other sexual and violent crimes.

Sam Taylor – Sam has been stalked by her former partner since 2008 and gave evidence of her case in Parliament at the Stalking Law Reform campaign, which led to the change in law.  Since the new law was announced, Sam has been working with Sussex Police using her own case to highlight where improvements can be made.  Sam recounted how her partner – a convicted sex offender – tried to murder her and manipulate the system to the extent that the stalking carried on – inbetween prison sentences – for many years.
  Ruth Jones, Programme Lead for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Abuse at Worcester University – Ruth was awarded the title of Worcestershire Woman of the Year 2011 and was named as one of 12 Inspirational Women of Europe in 2012.  As a senior lecturer, researcher and consultant, Ruth leads a core team of internationally known lecturers and researchers and is at the forefront of the new University of Worcester Centre for the Study of Violence and Abuse, which will be officially launched in November 2013.

The event welcomed more than 120 professionals working in both West Mercia and Warwickshire.

Martin Lakeman, Strategic Co-ordinator for The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence opened the event.

Martin said : “For the first time in British law, stalking is now a criminal offence.  Under The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – amended under The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 – there are now offences of stalking and harassment in British law.  The Forum welcomes this significant amendment as it now means that stalking is recognised for the devastating impact it can have on people’s lives and perpetrators can now be brought to justice under the UK’s judicial system.”

The new law in England and Wales provides a non-exhaustive list of behaviours viewed as stalking and this includes following a person, publishing any statement or other material relating or purporting to relate to a person, monitoring the use of a person via the internet, loitering in any place - whether public or private – and contacting or attempting to contact a person by any means.  The perpetrator does not need to be threatening violence before stalking becomes a criminal offence. Under section 4A of the new stalking law, behaviour that causes serious distress is viewed equally as behaviour that involves a fear of violence.

The facts around stalking make for sobering reading :

• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men will be stalked at some point in their lives;
• 40 per cent of victims are stalked by an ex-partner; crucially, in many cases the partner would have been emotionally or physically abusive during the relationship;
• Ex-partner stalking cases carry the highest risk of escalation to physical violence;
• On average, a stalker will contact 21 people connected to the victim. This may include family, friends, employer, neighbours; even, in some cases, the victim’s regular gym or favourite café;
• It is becoming more common for stalkers to use technology like GPS on mobiles, tracker devices or spyware on phones to locate a victim;

Martin concluded : “Listening to the stories of our keynote speakers highlighted the appalling consequences that stalking can have on both victims and their families.  The tragedy surrounding the death of Tricia’s daughter Clare and the devastating impact of years of abuse on Sam clearly should never have happened.  We hope the new laws will send out a clear message that stalking will not be tolerated and, crucially, save lives.”

Residents in Worcestershire can report abuse in confidence by contacting their local police station or in an emergency by phoning 999.  For free confidential information, support and advice they can phone the dedicated 24 hour helpline 0800 980 3331 or contact The National Stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300.

For further information about The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.

To call in confidence about domestic abuse call 0800 980 3331.

Conference support for National Stalking Awareness Day

With National Stalking Awareness Day taking place next week, The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence is holding a special event to highlight the issue.
The conference – which will take place on Monday 15 April at The University of Worcester – will raise awareness of the new stalking laws and will complement National Stalking Awareness Day which takes place throughout the country on Thursday 18 April.

A joint venture between The University of Worcester, The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence and The Protection Against Stalking Charity, the half day event will welcome speakers Laura Richards, Criminal Behavioural Analyst and Advisor; Tricia Bernal, who’s daughter Clare was murdered; Sam Taylor, a victim of stalking; Ruth Jones, Programme Lead for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Abuse at the University; Martin Lakeman, Strategic Co-ordinator for The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence.

Martin Lakeman, Strategic Co-ordinator for The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence explained : “Whilst this event coincides with raising awareness of the new laws surrounding stalking, the power and impact of the event will be listening to the devastating impact on victims, survivors and their families.  Both Tricia and Sam were pivotal in the campaign to implement this new legislation.”

The event – which takes place from 9.30am until 1.00pm – is open to all professionals working in both West Mercia and Warwickshire.

The new legislation has been welcomed by professionals in the field; for the first time stalking is now recognised as a form of harassment.  Under The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – amended under The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 – there are now offences of stalking and harassment in British law.

The new law in England and Wales provides a non-exhaustive list of behaviours be viewed as stalking and this includes following a person, publishing any statement or other material relating or purporting to relate to a person, monitoring the use of a person via the internet, loitering in any place - whether public or private - contacting or attempting to contact a person by any means.  The perpetrator does not need to be threatening violence before stalking becomes a criminal offence. Under section 4A of the new stalking law, behaviour that causes serious distress is viewed equally as behaviour that involves a fear of violence.

The facts around stalking make for sobering reading :

• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men will be stalked at some point in their lives;
• 40 per cent of victims are stalked by an ex-partner; crucially, in many cases the partner would have been emotionally or physically abusive during the relationship;
• Ex-partner stalking cases carry the highest risk of escalation to physical violence;
• On average, a stalker will contact 21 people connected to the victim. This may include family, friends, employer, neighbours; even, in some cases, the victim’s regular gym or favourite café;
• It is becoming more common for stalkers to use technology like GPS on mobiles, tracker devices or spyware on phones to locate a victim;

Martin concluded : “The Forum thoroughly supports the change in law and the crucial recognition that this now gives to those that have been effected by stalking and harassment.  Our event will provide professionals with the awareness and tools to be able to help victims and their families and encourage them to come forward and never to suffer in silence.”
Residents in Worcestershire can report abuse in confidence by contacting their local police station or in an emergency by phoning 999.  For free confidential information, support and advice they can phone the dedicated 24 hour helpline 0800 980 3331 or contact The National Stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300.

For further information about The Worcestershire Forum Against Domestic Abuse please contact Martin Lakeman on 01905 822 357.

To call in confidence about domestic abuse call 0800 980 3331.