Violence Against Women and Girls
Services
Refuge – Warwickshire Domestic Violence and Abuse (WDVA) Service is a countywide service that offer help and support to women, men and children experiencing VAWG or domestic violence and abuse (including rape, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, coercion and control, economic abuse, harmful practices (FGM), forced marriage, and so called ‘honour-based abuse’ in Warwickshire.
If you live in Warwickshire you can call 0800 408 1552 to speak to a support worker. If you are not able to call, please email DVSW@refuge.org.uk
You can also contact the Police, on 101, or Refuge, via the number above, if you have concerns about a friend, relative or neighbour. Please do report any concerns as those who are being abused may not have the opportunity to safely reach out for support themselves at the current time.
Anyone affected by domestic abuse or violence against women and girls, including if you have concerns over someone you know, can contact Refuge on 0800 408 1552.
More information, and links for more support services, relating to domestic abuse / VAWG can be found on our dedicated Talk2Someone website and professionals can find more information on the Talk2Someone Professionals page. As well as https://refuge.org.uk/ and https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/domesticabuse.
In an emergency, please dial 999.
If you are in immediate danger, always call 999 in an emergency. If you are unable to speak on the phone, when prompted, you can press ’55’ if ringing from a mobile to use the ‘Silent Solution’ system. More information on the silent solution can be found here.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence and abuse please visit www.talk2someone.org.uk for information about local support services.
Each year in the UK 3 million women experience rape, domestic violence, forced marriage and so-called ‘honour’ crimes, female genital mutilation, stalking, trafficking, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation.
Such violence is a major cause of death and disability and is linked to other issues such as poor health, child poverty, social exclusion, economic and educational disadvantage.
Warwickshire Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
Warwickshire County Council along with the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board has approved a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2023-2026. This Strategy sets out a three-year partnership approach to ending VAWG in Warwickshire.
Violence and abuse, in any form, is unacceptable. Certain crimes, including domestic abuse, rape (and all other sexual offences), and honour-based violence disproportionally affect women and girls. This must stop. The safety of everyone in our county, is our priority. This strategy which has been developed in partnership with a range of statutory, community and voluntary organisations across Warwickshire, outlines how agencies will work together to tackle VAWG. In addition, consultation exercises have been undertaken to engage with local victim-survivors and professionals working in local services.
The four key priorities and objectives of the strategy are:
- Prioritising Prevention- We will challenge the attitudes, behaviours and societal norms which foster VAWG by raising awareness and the understanding of them, and by intervening early where possible to prevent it. We will work to ensure everyone understands what healthy relationships look like, recognition around the signs of abuse, and work to better understand how to prevent the cycle of abuse.
- Supporting Victims- We will provide high-quality, fit for purpose, joined up provision for victim-survivors, ensuring we meet the needs of all our communities. We will address the barriers that prevent people telling someone about the abuse and violence that they are experiencing.
- Pursuing Perpetrators and Reducing Re-offending- We will continue to pursue perpetrators and reduce re-offending by working with those who offend. We will work in collaboration across the Warwickshire Partnership to engage with those who offend and work with them via specialist behavioural change interventions, to help stop the harm to victim-survivors, their families, and the wider community.
- Strengthening the System- We will continue to strengthen our partnership response to create a whole system approach to tackling VAWG. We will ensure that professionals across the partnership are consistent in their understanding and response to VAWG.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to create this strategy – particularly those Warwickshire individuals with lived experience of VAWG, who generously gave time to share their own story with us.
To see a copy of the VAWG Strategy please click here.
Documents
This strategy outlines how Warwickshire County Council will work with partners to meet new duties to provide safe accommodation and support in Warwickshire for adult and child victims as part of the Council’s statutory requirements within the Domestic Abuse Act.
Safe In Warwickshire 