Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones is urging others to support Crimestoppers’ Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) national campaign, as part of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week (6th – 12th February).
The campaign calls for people to challenge attitudes and increase reporting on those responsible to reduce sexual violence in our communities.
Crimestoppers commissioned a University of Suffolk report that revealed 1 in 6 children face unwanted sexual harassment in public from the age of 10. The report also sheds light on general attitudes to sexual harassment and the age at which victims are targeted.
The survey had responses from 1,800 people and key findings included:
- Around 1 in 6 participants (16.8%) first experience sexual harassment occurred when they were aged 10 or younger
30.9% of participants first encountered unwanted sexual behaviour between the ages of 14-16 - Almost the same percentage – 29% – first experienced unwanted approaches between 11-13 years old
- The survey also found that 10% of women said they had been raped while 23% said they had been ‘forced’ to have sex
- Less than 1% of victims said they felt flattered, attractive or desired after their most recent harassment experience
- The research also found that respondents changed their behaviour or activities to avoid a repeat incident with nearly 10% avoiding outdoor areas where they had previously encountered unwanted sexual behaviours.
More than a third (38%) had been followed and nearly a quarter (23%) had witnessed flashing/ genital exposure.
Whilst the largest group of perpetrators were strangers, this was closely followed by classmates during their younger years, then acquaintances and colleagues in later life. You can read the full report here.
Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said:
“It is deeply shocking that children as young as 10 years old have been exposed to sexual harassment of any kind and those aged 11-13 years old have experienced unwanted approaches. We must do more as a society to call out this behaviour when we see it.
Article continues below this advertisement “As Commissioner, I am urging partners of my VAWG Task Group to support this campaign which compliments the work we are doing as a multi-agency group to tackle VAWG in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
Violence Against Women and Girls lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli, said:
“We are continuously reviewing information and crime reports that we receive from the community around violence against women and girls, but without those reports, we cannot be in a position to best allocate our resources in order to protect the community.
“The public are our ears on the ground, so we would strongly urge local residents to continue to report any suspicious incidents directly to us. This ensures that we can conduct a thorough investigations and identify those responsible and bring them justice.”
Perhaps donna you will get more support when you include boys and men in the campaign. Its all well and good actively promoting the stop violence against women and girls group, however, unless there is an equal promotion of the stop violence against boys and men as well, then it will not get as much support as you would like – as it is too one sided.
Good point there Truth. I used to work with a guy who quite often used to come to work looking like he’d been thrown to the bloody lions, especially on a Monday morning! Real nasty bitch, so it’s got to work both ways.
thanks gaz – one guy I have worked with – same thing as well as, bite marks on his arms – mental and verbal abuse, no where to go etc etc, constant nagging, questions, threats etc. spiteful cow.
one guy i know, got so much abuse off a woman, for refusing to sleep with her despite never having met her before – she just took a fancy to him in the pub
and donna makes no mention of the fact that boys under 16 are just as likely to be approached by paedo’s as girls are
Every day another soundbite trying desperately to hit on a winning approach to changing the Laws to allow her officers to arrest strikers, do unlimited stop and search without a reasonable suspicion etc etc etc.. Get off your political pedestal and look around you.. every day we see more people hurt, injured and damaged by those who actually control our streets and roads with impunity, safe in the knowledge that if you do catch them the courts will do nothing to stop them. SEXUAL VIOLENCE AWARENESS WEEK applies to people of all persuasions, all genders and all ages, not just your ‘cherry picked’ few to hit the readers hardest. Could I now suggest a ‘for goodness sake please give us a rest from Donna Jones week’
Vote rest from Donna Jones week .. excellent idea, but long longer than a week . !! Between the CPP and the useless pop up MP .. expect more of the same from each of them , another sound bite each day … definitely not value for money .
Perhaps ending or returning unchecked migration would drastically alter the stats
Odd how such crimes have increased since AND In every country in areas where such settle en masse.
Coincidence a marvellous thing so perhaps I will win the lottery every week for a year
local yokel, there certainly was some wisdom in our grandparents who naturally knew to avoid such living amongst them, later generations thought they were just against such because of skin tone, but seems now that they could have been right and the skin was in many cases a handy identifying wrap to what all too often covers an undesirable underneath.
We see cases today on the Echo and plenty more on the news, yet now, to try to limit the exposure the skin tone is not or rarely mentioned
Laws, rules, curtailment of speech will never make wrong right though.
Truly the UK and the Island was far nicer a place without, but the young of course don’t know that so the great pretence and blaming everything and anything but, goes on.
A worthy cause, hijacked by someone in public office promoting their own future political ambitions.
Next step M.P.
Fair point, well made. Not in uniform, so never actually served in any force that has to make tough decisions on the spot. Except maybe a sandwich allowance or stationary chit in the particular civil service office or finance office in which she got picked. Penny Mordaunt she ain’t. Even Bob Seeley actually served. That’s Britain now: our MP is better than the Police. Bring back PC Dixon and the bad old days…
Oh dear. Here we go again. Our w4lrus against crime telling us what we should be thinking and doing. I can think for myself thanks. Just more numbers to highlight some topic to distract us from the concerted corruption of others. Nothing to see here, look over there.
A large amount of disrespect for females starts in the home or on social networking; these areas need some serious work and thought given to them by individuals with the sick mentality who enjoy abusing others mentally and physically.