Sutton Council supports White Ribbon Day 2020 and 16 days of action to end violence against women

The ‘16 Days’ campaign is an international campaign that started in 1991. Since then, over 6,000 groups in 187 countries have taken part. The ‘16 Days of Action’ run from 25 November, UN International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. The campaign spans these 16 days in order to highlight the link between violence against women and human rights.

Today, women and girls are subjected to many forms of human rights violations solely on the basis of their gender.

Each year thousands of people stand up, speak out and say no to violence against women. This year is more important than ever with a significant increase in violence, harassment and abuse towards women during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.  

The National Domestic Abuse Helpline which normally logs around 270 calls every day, saw an increase of 77% during June 2020.

Councillor Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council said; “We are supporting both campaigns in Sutton as we strive to tackle domestic abuse in our borough as a priority of the Sutton Plan. We need to work together to prevent violence and make sure our communities and homes are safe for everyone."

“We are ambitious for Sutton to remain a great place to live, work and raise a family and are determined to reduce domestic abuse and also improve our ability to look after and guarantee the safety of victims, survivors and their children.”

Sutton Council has since 2017 invested over £1m working with partners to improve services relating to domestic abuse, including early intervention and prevention initiatives. As part of this investment the Not Alone in Sutton campaign was launched to raise awareness of the help available through a dedicated website.

There are a number of resources that people who are affected by domestic abuse can access locally. For general signposting and information about what to do if you are affected by domestic abuse, visit www.notaloneinsutton.org.uk.

Transform our specialist domestic abuse service provider can provide support on 020 8092 7569 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or email transformsutton@cranstoun.org.uk.