Men urged to challenge unacceptable behaviour against women and girls in Sheffield
Sheffield City Council now has a new strategy to tackle domestic and sexual abuse
Last updated 25th Nov 2024
As Sheffield City Council now has a new strategy to tackle domestic and sexual abuse and violence against women and girls, men are being called to play a part in changing the culture and hold each other to account.
Last week, members of a council committee approved a new strategy to acknowledge the council’s role in the delivery of a new and continued strategy called “From Surviving to Safety”.
A report explained that over 85,000 people in Sheffield are estimated to have been victims of domestic abuse, and 69,000 people have been victims of sexual abuse since the age of 16.
It also said that over 800 children and young people received specialist counselling and support as victims of domestic abuse while 1,200 high-risk cases of domestic abuse have been managed through the multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) system.
Today (November 25) is White Ribbon Day – which is an initiative to raise awareness and combat violence against women and girls – and Cllr Fran Belbin, the deputy leader of Sheffield City Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that this year’s theme is “it starts with men”.
She said: “It’s very much about men taking the lead and challenging behaviours, and attitudes and trying to move away from that kind of environment.”
Tom Smith, the director of customer experience and communities at Sheffield City Council, reiterated that the campaign revolves around men taking the lead, being “ambassadors” and “allies to women” in terms of challenging bad behaviour.
He added these “bad behaviours” have many forms from low-level discriminatory behaviour to serious domestic abuse and violence.
Mr Smith said: “There is actually evidence that one thing generates the other.”
In addition to the numbers above, it is important to note that there were almost 20,000 people who were victims of domestic abuse in Sheffield in the 2023/24 year.
So what is happening? Why are these numbers so high in the region?
Cllr Belbin said a lot of violence or abuse is not even reported so some of the stats in the report were “extrapolations” of national statistics.
She said she was not sure whether “we are particularly worse than any other part of the country” but admitted they had some issues around how quickly things get around the courts as cases are getting delayed – a trend dating back to Covid.
Mr Smith said Sheffield was “not unusual unfortunately, it’s a national issue”.
He added that violence against girls and women is not a big city thing, it exists in rural areas as well.
He said while, of course, there are male victims of domestic abuse and violence, in terms of this type of violence, the “vast majority is committed by a man”.
But why is this the case? What is behind this behaviour?
Mr Smith said we could talk a lot about social media, the internet, and the rise of pornography but this attitude predates the internet.
Cllr Belbin said the majority of men are not abusing women (or other men) so it’s not a part of our behaviour.
“Most men are not involved in abusing or violence against women”, she added.
The council, as mentioned above, has accepted a new strategy to tackle this issue.
What did change in comparison to the previous strategy? How can we see fewer women and girls in Sheffield in such horrible circumstances?
Cllr Belbin told the LDRS that they did not have to change things because they did not work; it’s rather introducing more partnership work with lots of different organisations, from the police to volunteer organisations.
Does that involve financial support?
Cllr Belbin added that some are independent organisations, some are being supported by the council so it’s a mix.
What would a successful strategy look like? Should the numbers go down or go up which would mean more women are confident enough to come forward?
Cllr Belbin said it’s difficult to say but it would be a success if people were more open about the issue or men coming forward challenging the behaviours.
“For me, it’s about people speaking up, challenging when necessary”, she added.
Mr Smith added that a really effective system to support people of being victims of domestic abuse is all about confidence.
“It’s all about victims believing that they would be believed in the first place and an appropriate action would be taken when they report things”, Mr Smith added.
You can find more about White Ribbon Day by visiting www.whiteribbon.org.uk