Plymouth hosts 16 days of activism against violence

Organisations across Plymouth have come together for the 16 Days campaign

Organisations and charities in Plymouth have embarked on 16 days of activism to raise awareness of and prevent violence against women and girls.

Sixteen Days of Activism is an international campaign, originally launched by the Center for Women's Global Leadership.

Women's charity Trevi leads the local campaign, aiming to unite communities, organisations, and individuals.

CEO Hannah Shead said the campaign was about "coming together as a community".

'Societal change'

She said: "In uniting partners across the city we can bring together different services, really start to have conversations about these issues and come together as a community to say we will not tolerate a society where women and girls are at risk or harm and abuse.

"We must also remember that violence against women and girls doesn't just happen on the streets, it can happen in their own homes.

"We must focus on how we can affect a cultural and societal change; this starts, in our case, with education in schools, having conversations in workplaces and calling out sexism and misogyny."

Those taking part in the campaign will remember the women who were victims of femicide in 2021, Plymouth City Council said.

Plymouth's Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Commission's survey, taken in March this year, reported 89% of participants thought violence against women and girls was a problem in the city, with 60% saying it was more of a problem now than five years ago.

In the 12 months to May 2021 there were about 3,000 cases of stalking or harassment crimes in Plymouth, a 25% increase on the previous year, with 68% of those victims being female, according to Plymouth City Council.

Councillor Rebecca Smith, chair of the city's VAWG Commission that published a set of recommendations for change, said: "This is a long-term project, and a challenge that cannot be solved by individuals or by one organisation, so we're committed to working closely with all our partners and supporting initiatives like the 16 Days of Activism.

"Everyone in Plymouth has a role to play and together we can start to make real changes, making our city safer for women and girls."

The campaign runs from 25 November to 10 December with support available online.