Content

9.1

The Director of Operational Services presented
a report setting out the background to the White Ribbon campaign
and the Council’s involvement in the campaign to date.
 
The report sets out the Council’s
proposed Action Plan for activities to promote the national White
Ribbon Campaign which aims to end violence against women and girls.
The Action Plan will be submitted to the White Ribbon Campaign to
secure the accreditation of Sheffield City Council as an
organisation and confirm the whole Council commitment to taking
action to end violence against women and girls

 

 

9.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That
Strategy and Resources Policy Committee approves the
Council’s White Ribbon Action Plan to be submitted to White
Ribbon UK for the purposes of seeking White Ribbon
accreditation.
 

9.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

9.3.1

Both men and women can use violence in their
families, relationships or in the community. All violence is
unacceptable. But the behaviour that leads to male violence against
women is a specifically gendered problem rooted in discrimination
and prejudice. White Ribbon is trying to deal with this specific
problem.

 

 

9.3.2

·      
Around 6000 people seek support from domestic abuse services in
Sheffield each year, and around 90% of them are women.  

·      
The Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service sees over 600
clients a year and 87% are women and girls.

·      
There have been 19 deaths in Sheffield since 2011 that have met the
criteria for a statutory Domestic Homicide Review (including
suicides) – 16 of these were women and in 17 of these deaths
the abuser was a man.

 

 

9.3.3

We know that much violence against women and
girls is not reported or disclosed to agencies and sadly for some
it is part of everyday life, something they just put up with. This
could range from street harassment, or sexual harassment at work to
rape. The problem does not stop with physical violence. It includes
other forms of emotional violence and psychological –
from sexist joking, to sexual harassment
at work, to other domineering forms of behaviour. By remaining
silent about these things, some men are allowed to poison our
communities and working and learning environments.

 

 

9.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

9.4.1

White Ribbon is the only accreditation process
focussing on violence against women and girls for local
authorities. The alternatives were to do nothing or to develop our
own framework.

 

 

9.4.2

Doing nothing is not an option given the
increasing focus on ending violence against women and girls in
recent years following high profile deaths, prominent agencies and
organisations being found wanting in their responses, and scandals
involving public personas. Having already signed up to be a White
Ribbon registered organisation, the Council needs to develop and
deliver a plan to meet this commitment and become White Ribbon
accredited.

 

 

9.4.3

Developing our own framework would be more
resource intensive and less effective when there is a ready made campaign that
is supported by many local authorities and other organisations
across the country and internationally.