Month: January 2018

Community Safety and Neighbourhood Services latest edition

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January 2018

Welcome to the Winchester Community Safety Partnership e-bulletin. The aim of this bulletin is to update partners on a quarterly basis about what the partnership has been involved in and what is available to view on the Partnership website.  The Website can be accessed using the following link; http://www.winchester.gov.uk/community-safety-and-neighbourhood-services

The decisions about the content of this bulletin is largely based upon what is happening in the news, locally and nationally. We also include campaigns that are scheduled in the upcoming months in order to offer local advice. Over the coming months two national awareness events are taking place, National Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week and National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day. Nearly half a million adults are sexually assaulted in England and Wales each year and only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence choose to report to the police. By choosing these two campaigns the CSP hopes to raise awareness of these subjects whilst encouraging greater reporting of the issue and highlighting local support being offered.

We hope you find this edition useful and welcome any feedback, our contact details can be found at the end of the bulletin.

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is any sexual act that a person did not consent to, or is forced into against their will. It is a form of sexual violence and includes rape and other sexual offences, such as groping, forced kissing, child sexual abuse or the torture of a person in a sexual manner. This includes sexual touching of any part of someone’s body, and it makes no difference whether you’re wearing clothes or not.

Many sexual assaults are carried out by someone known to the victim. This could be a partner, former partner, relative, friend or colleague. The assault may happen in many places, but is commonly in the victims home or the home of the alleged perpetrator.

Anyone can be sexually assaulted and both men and women can commit sexual assault.

What is Domestic Abuse?

Domestic Abuse is described as any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, between those who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender and sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.

Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week

5th – 11th February 2018 marks Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.  This is the UK’s annual week dedicated to bring together organisations and communities to promote awareness of sexual abuse and sexual violence.

http://sexualabuseandsexualviolenceawarenessweek.org/

Child abuse can happen in different ways, and can include neglect as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In many cases, people experience more than one type of abuse.

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18 into sexual activity.

Children and young people who are sexual exploited and/or trafficked can be heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, they can be female, male or transgender.

However, many of those who are victimised may be reluctant to disclose offences or seek support, often due to stigma, prejudice or embarrassment or the fear that they will not be believed. They may see themselves as able to protect themselves but in cases of CSE physical stature is irrelevant due to the coercion and manipulation used.

The National Child Sexual Exploitation Day aims to highlight the issues surrounding CSE, encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children developing inappropriate relationships with other children.

National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day are committed to the fight against CSE and supporting victims and their families who are subjected to child sexual exploitation.

http://www.stop-cse.org/

The Home Office is working with partners to raise awareness of county lines, this is something Hampshire police are focusing on in the district. They have developed a range of materials to help statutory and non-statutory staff identify victims and report concerns to protect those exploited through this criminal activity.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/county-lines-protecting-vulnerable-people-from-exploitation

Hampshire has a confidential help service for women, men, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.

There is a Hampshire based helpline; 03300 165 112

The Integrated Domestic Abuse Service for Hampshire (IDASH) provides refuge, resettlement, outreach and domestic violence support.

Residents of East Hants, Fareham, Gosport and Havant can email for support or further informatuion to; spoc@southerndas.org

For the rest of Hampshire, including Winchester contact; spoc@theyoutrust.org.uk

 https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/adultsocialcare/domesticabuse

The Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASAC) offers a free, confidential listening and support service for female and male’s, both adults and under 18s who have suffered some degree of sexual abuse or sexual assault at any time in their lives.

They also offer an information and advice line for anyone who wants signposting on other services or advice as to where or what to do if they encounter sexual abuse or have any questions about sexual abuse or sexual assault. They also have a text and email service for those who wish to make contact and don’t like using the phone.

Advice line; 01962 868 688 / 01962 864 433

https://www.rasac.org.uk/

For a comprehensive list of support available in the South East please follow the link to The Survivors Trust website

Thursday 23rd November 2017 saw Winchester joining the national White Ribbon campaign – a global movement raising awareness of violence against women and girls.

Representatives from a number of partner agencies were in  the city center asking people to support the campaign by wearing a white ribbon – the national symbol of the movement and displaying hearts, handmade by the women’s art group from local charity Trinity Winchester. Many of the women in the group have been victims of domestic abuse and want to raise the issue.

Cllr Lisa Griffiths said;
‘We are very pleased to be supporting the White Ribbon campaign again this year. On average, two women a week in England and Wales are killed by a violent partner or x-partner. This constitutes nearly 40 percent of all female homicide victims. We hope that by bringing the White Ribbon campaign to Winchester we can raise awareness and help the community to understand the scale of the problem.’

Hannah Scott, service delivery manager at Trinity Winchester said;
‘it is estimated that domestic abuse affects one in four women. Please show your support by wearing a white ribbon and join the thousands who pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about such violence.’

For more information visit; https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/

For more information contact Hannah Scott hannah@trinitywinchester.org.uk / Phone; 01962 842 827

Coming up in the next few months

And Finally

We would like to remind you that the Partnership aims to pass on useful information. In order to do this we need your assistance. We would like to offer partners the opportunity to provide us with a summary and a link you their websites. We need as many of you to submit your details to us in order to make the information provided as broad as possible. Please contact Lucy Spence at lspence@winchester.gov.uk with a short summary of the service you provide and the link to your website if you wish to take this offer up.

Additionally if you would like to add a direct link to the Winchester Community Partnership webpages from your own organisation’s website please use the link provided below:

http://www.winchester.gov.uk/community-safety-and-neighbourhood-services/winchester-community-safety-partnership

If you require further information about any of the topis highlighted please conatct the Community Safety Team at communitysafety@winchester.gov.uk or telephone 01962 848 222.

Copyright © 2018 Winchester City Council All rights reserved.

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