Ending VAWG Event

On the 30 October 2024, over 250 people from Hull and the East Riding attended an event focused on ending violence against women and girls (VAWG). The audience heard from speakers with lived experience and explored how they could contribute to eradicating this national epidemic.

Organised by Safer Hull and Violence Prevention Officer Brandon Fuller, the conference took place in MKM Stadium. A range of partners - including the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Blue Door and the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership - supported this significant event.

Startling Statistics and Lived Experience

On the day, the event was ably led by the co-chairs of Hull's Serious Violence Duty VAWG Group:

• Sarah Hicks, a Lived Experience Coordinator at Forum
• Alison Ashton, CEO of Hull Women’s Aid

The morning introduction included some hard-hitting figures. For example, 97% of women report being the victim of sexual harassment and 1 woman every 3 days nationally is murdered by a male.

Amanda Hailes and Susie Winter, Co-founders of An Untold Story – Voices, gave open and honest accounts of their lived experience, which left the room silent in reflection.

Active Bystanders

In the afternoon, attendees were given an overview of active bystander training from Lisa Clappison, Domestic Abuse Training & Development Officer at East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The training explained how anyone can intervene and support someone who is a victim of VAWG, changing the mentality of ‘the next person will say something.'

Positive Masculinity

This was followed by a fantastic session on positive masculinity from Luke Medcalf, Development Manager for Communities and Inequalities at Active Humber. Luke explained that we need to look deeper into the root causes, such as lack of male role models and support in early years.

Young artists from the Warren Youth Project showcased their powerful artwork, visualising positive masculinity. Their thought-provoking tiles were prominently displayed at the conference, accompanied by a poignant message:

“In a world filled with harmful stereotypes [...] encouraging discussions around positive masculinity has never been more important”

An Engaged Audience

Throughout the event, engagement from the audience - both male and female - was high. It was clear that people who work in the city to support our communities are passionate about this topic.

The event concluded with a powerful call to action, urging attendees to sign up to the White Ribbon promise. As a leading organisation in the fight against VAWG, White Ribbon's current campaign, "It Starts with Men," aligns perfectly with the conference's theme and emphasises the critical role men play in ending gender-based violence.

Next Steps

Following the event, a White Ribbon support group has been established. To learn more about engaging your community or workplace in standing against VAWG, please contact Brandon Fuller via the button below.

Help & Advice

Please call 999 if you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger.

Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership
Phone: 01482 318 759
Website: https://www.hulldap.co.uk/

East Riding Domestic Violence and Abuse Partnership
Phone: 01482 396 368
Website: https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/living/crime-and-community-safety/domestic-abuse/dvap/

Our Help & Support page also lists organisations that offer free and confidential advice on a range of topics.