An initiative aimed at raising awareness and taking real steps towards ending violence against women and girls “16 days of activism” has begun in Cheltenham. Councillor Flo Clucas, the cabinet member for safety and communities, said “whether at home, at work, at school, in town, or on our streets, being safe is a right, not a privilege”.
The 16 days of action is an international campaign held annually aiming to eliminate violence against women. It began on November 25th and goes on until December 10th, which is also Human Rights day.
To back up the campaign, The Communities Partnership (TCP) has launched a safety survey aimed at women and girls to gather insights into how the town centre really feels during the night. This follows on from the first safety survey carried out in 2021 where the results were used as supporting evidence for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Street Fund, which funded more CCTV, Bystander training, and Taxi Marshals.
The town has held “Purple Flag Status”, which is awarded to communities that prioritise nighttime safety, since 2016 representing its previous steps to make streets safer at night for everyone and the council is encouraging businesses and residents to join the campaign to show their support.
Chair of the TCP, Tracey Birkinshaw said, “Working towards preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls is a call to action that we can all play a positive role in and have an active voice”.
The campaign will come to a close with a peaceful vigil at the Municipal Offices which will include speeches and message tags from Cheltenham Community Safety Partnership where attendees will be encouraged to leave messages of solidarity which will be left on display at the pod on the high street.
More information about the campaign can be found on the UN Women Website.
And you can find the survey at: https://haveyoursay.cheltenham.gov.uk/strategy/safety-of-women/
