Violence Against Women and Girls Community of Practice

The Violence Against Women and Girls Community of Practice aims to raise awareness of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, and the role that physical activity and sport have to play in supporting prevention and recovery practices.

In many areas of international development, physical activity and sport have been recognised as playing a contributory role in helping to challenge conditions that lead to violence against women and girls; the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have regularly noted sport’s power to empower women and girls globally, including the ways it can act against violence towards women and girls.

This Community of Practice will look to explore and share current approaches and new thinking after the subject was raised in the previous Community of Practice meetings.

The agenda, once confirmed, will cover policies, strategies and partnerships in place locally and examples of where delivery is already working towards this agenda.

• An estimated 1.9 million adults aged 16 – 59 experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will suffer from domestic abuse in their lifetime.
• 20% of children in the UK have lived with an adult perpetrating domestic violence.
• 62% of children in households where domestic violence is happening are also directly harmed.

The Violence Against Women and Girls Community of Practice will support delegates to explore our sector’s role in helping to challenge the conditions that lead to these statistics.

Agenda:

9:00-9:30 – Registration, tea and coffee, informal networking

9:30-9:40 – Welcome and introductions

9:40-10:00 – Speaker: Mandu Reid

Senior Programme Delivery Manager, Sports Team and Interim Leader for the Women’s Equality Party – Sharing her knowledge on Domestic Violence

10:00-10:20 – Speaker: Hazel North Stephens

Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Adult Commissioning, Adults’ Care & Support Barking and Dagenham – Raising awareness around the continuation of violence faced by women and girls. She will be covering local strategies and structures. The partnerships that sport and physical activity delivery organisations will need to form to work in this field.

10:20-10:40 – Break

10:40-11:00 – Speaker: Gareth Heard

Community Development Officer, Fusion, – Discussing the Women Time Programme – a free 12-week physical activity programme for women suffering from Domestic Abuse helping them Improve their mental wellbeing, self-empowerment and health.

11:00-11:30 – Speaker: Liz Miller

Helping Hands Project Coordinator, Jigsaw4u – Sharing the Helping Hands Project offering volunteer support for individuals and families who are/have experienced domestic violence and help reduce social isolation, encouraging links to other organisations including local leisure provisions.

11:30-12:00 – Speaker: Jessica Harrison

Family Fitness Programme Manage – Explaining the Hestia Family fitness project which supports families that have experienced domestic abuse or exploitation. The aim of the project is to reduce barriers for families from disadvantaged groups encouraging them to more active by working in a trauma-informed way.

12:00-12:15 – Group discussions and closing remarks