An approach we need more of in society

When a vulnerable woman first steps through the doors of the WomenCentre in Halifax, she will probably have come here with one problem in mind, says Clare Jones, the organisation’s national lead. Once she has sat down with a worker and talked it through, it may well turn out that her priority is something different.

Angela Everson (left) and Clare Jones of WomenCentre in Halifax, UK. Photo courtesy of Christopher Thomond, the Guardian.

This kind of “women-centred”, one-stop shop service that recognises the links between problems is exactly what WomenCentre believes is best for women facing a range of problems from abuse to homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, to poverty and more.

Angela Everson and Clare Jones of West Yorkshire’s WomenCentre talk here about how and why their one-stop approach works. More about the WomenCentre can be found here.

 

46%

Statistics show us facts that are truly shocking;
In Sweden, one in five women will be raped at some point in their lives.
In Sweden, 46% of women are subjected to assault inside the four walls of their own home.

We need to break all the myths about domestic violence. One is that it would be violent immigrant men who abuse, another that there are men in lower social layers – often alcohol or drug dependent – who are perpetrators. The truth is that violence occurs everywhere, on a global scale, in all walks of life and of all ages.

So how do we create a long-term change?
First and foremost, with a broad preventative work of core values and human rights , this is fundamentally a matter of humanity, where the inviolability of human and equal value must be upgraded. This work on values and the work with attitudes and norms must begin at an early age, and throughout the school years the school curriculum, should not just include sex and relationships, but equally important is to get the subjects of power, violence, control, gender and relationships on to the map.
To then also bring this work out to youth and adults, through information, education and to openly discuss these topics are also all crucial and important steps to achieving a fundamental change on all levels.