The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is throwing her support behind the international 16 Days of Activism campaign, as part of her commitment to tackling violence against women and girls in Northamptonshire.
During 16 Days of Activism, from November 25 to December 10, Danielle Stone is laying out her ambitious plans to challenge harmful attitudes and help women feel safe.
During that time, Danielle is rallying organisations together to sign her new Northamptonshire Women’s Charter on December 1.
It’s a call to action for businesses and organisations across the county to commit to making women’s safety a top priority at work.
Those who sign up will get access to an exclusive Charter Toolkit, including specialist survey support to inform workplaces about safety changes women want to see at work, bespoke training packages, plus support for SMEs to create workplace policies that prevent harm.
Ensuring victims receive the very best support is at the heart of Danielle’s strategic public safety plan.
Her specialist support service, Voice, helps victims and witnesses deal with the impact of crime.
Representatives from Voice are attending both Reclaim the Night marches and vigils on November 28 and December 5 where staff will speak about their important work and how to access support.
The march is a show of solidarity between women in Northamptonshire to raise their collective voices against sexual violence and harassment.
These are just some of the steps Voice has taken to keep women and girls safe.
Earlier this year, specialists from Voice were chosen to take part in a Home Office pilot known as Raneem’s Law.
Independent Domestic Violence Advisors work in the Force Control Room during peak hours – from Wednesday to Sunday – to give victims a fast response and make sure they are referred to support services as quickly as possible.
It was made possible because the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner applied for Ministry of Justice funding to recruit these posts.
Voice also works closely with partners to provide specialist domestic abuse support at the county’s Sunflower Centre, which marks 25 years of advocating for victims on December 3.
Danielle is also drawing policy makers together to host a VAWG conference to challenge the status quo and make sure responsibilities to keeping women safe are met in Northamptonshire.
The conference, on December 10, will see a curated audience of sector leaders, practitioners, leaders in criminal justice, local government and the prison service come together to lever change.
Danielle Stone said: “I want to do all I can in Northamptonshire to help halve violence against women and girls and to do that I’m engaging local workforces and changemakers to commit to putting women’s safety at the heart of everything they do.
“My vision is to change the culture in this county that allows victimisation and to empower bystanders to tackle perpetrators.
“There is always more that can be done at a local level, but I hope my Women’s Charter and VAWG conference is a step in the right direction to make sure championing safer environments is at the forefront of everything we do.”
