Page 6 - BPWUK - E-news - Edition 106 - October 2022

As the nights get darker and the curtains close earlier some women and children
dread the shroud of secrecy the dark nights bring. Violence against women and
girls (VAWG) rises when autumn and winter arrive. In COVID lockdown VAWG in-
creased by 33% but as it was harder to report, this may just be an estimate.

This month HM Government updated the resources available to highlight this issue,
and many of us will see them when we are out and about, or on the TV and radio.

The campaign is called ENOUGH and you can access it via the website

www.enough.campaign.gov.uk BPW UK has registered with this campaign, and I
am waiting for further resources to be sent to me. This will enable each of us to re-
new our commitment to this and learn when to intervene and when to step back and
report the abuse.

I was pleased to see it emphasised that when men and boys talk to each other, and
an inappropriate joke or image is shared they must say that the joke or comment is
not on ……that we should respect one another. It can seem that we just don’t get
the joke, when in fact it is simply continuing the lack of respect which in some cases
can then lead onto inappropriate behaviour.
• Government figures show that 65% of 16–34-years-old have experienced
one form of harassment online or whilst out and about i.e., cat calling or in-
appropriate touching ;
• 1 in 3 people experienced sexual harassment at work, most common was
sexual jokes or unwelcome staring ;

• 85% of rapes and sexual assaults are committed by someone that person
knows i.e., a family member, neighbour, colleague, or friend ;

• A pattern of behaviour that includes monitoring a partner’s phone, choosing
who they speak to, telling them what to wear is domestic abuse.

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