Ealing’s Cabinet adopted an updated Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG) strategy at its meeting on Wednesday 22nd February.
The new Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG) strategy was developed by the council and the Safer Ealing Partnership (SEP), and it sets out a strong commitment to reviewing and assessing the work that has already taken place in relation to MVAWG.
The first phase of the strategy took place last year, and the actions announced in September 2022 following the Safer Ealing for Women Listening Exercise are already underway. The work is ongoing and already the council is implementing new measures including the installation of 14 new high quality CCTV cameras, upgrading over 3,100 light columns to LED, delivering an educational programme with secondary schools, understanding healthy relationships and equipping pupils with the skills and confidence to identify and challenge abusive behaviour; as well as finalising the development of a new website dedicated to women and girls.
The renewed strategy has four key priorities:
- Prevention: Stop violence from happening or reoccurring through education, increased awareness, and intervention.
- Support for women and girls: Access appropriate and high-quality services.
- Holding perpetrators to account: Demonstrating that their behaviour is not tolerated and indicating how they can address it.
- Developing a community co-ordinated response: Create a culture where it is everyone’s responsibility to recognise and respond to MVAWG.
The newly developed strategy takes the initiatives further, seeking to address misogynistic behaviour, introduce new ways to tackle domestic violence and aims to further change attitudes and culture in communities that can lead to misogyny and violence towards women and girls. This is a strategy where everyone is responsible for change. It will be reviewed regularly, and while it will support women and girls’ needs, it will also challenge unacceptable behaviour and hold perpetrators to account.
The work is ongoing and reviewed regularly, and the second stage of actions will be announced in Feb 2024, this will follow extensive feedback and engagement, as the council continues to create a safer Ealing for women and girls.
