Monday was White Ribbon Day, an initiative that takes place on 25 November each year to raise awareness of, and combat, violence against women and girls. The theme this year was ‘It Starts With Men’, and we’ve been sharing messaging this week to encourage men to hold themselves accountable and be a part of the change needed.
It is all of our responsibilities to encourage positive behaviour change and challenge and transform attitudes and behaviours which can cause detrimental effects to the women and girls within our communities. As a Council we’re working in many different ways to ensure women’s safety in Reading.
The most important of these is commissioning Berkshire Women’s Aid to provide refuge services and a helpline for those who need it. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or know someone who is and need support, please do call the Berkshire Women’s Aid helpline on 0808 801 0882, as they provide a dedicated service supporting survivors of domestic abuse. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999 for the police.
We’ve also been working with partners for years, including Thames Valley Police and Reading BID to name just two, to make Reading safer for everyone but with particular focus on giving women and girls the reassurances they need to visit the town centre with confidence.
Last year a raft of additional safety measures were installed to improve the safety of women and girls in the town centre. These included additional cctv cameras, more street lighting in Chain Street and Union Street and a town centre Safe Space to assist those in need. This has now been open for just over a year, and can be found at St Mary’s Church House in Chain Street, next to Bill’s Restaurant. Open from 9pm – 3am every Friday and Saturday night, and run by the Reading Street Pastors, it not only provides a base for them to look after those with medical needs on a night out in the town, but also residents – primarily women – who are feeling vulnerable or afraid if they’ve lost their friends or their phone and are alone and need support.
Over the past year, we’ve worked with partners to complement these physical improvements with a range of training sessions and initiatives for town centre businesses to help improve the safety of women and girls when they visit.
These include Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) Training for hospitality staff, which was held at the Council offices, including learning about spiking and what to look for in victims and perpetrators, and self-defence classes for venue management and staff to learn techniques to keep them safe at work.
In addition, drink spiking and urine testing kits have been distributed to all venues, and restaurants and pubs have been issued with Ask for Angela posters for the public and staff training posters on the subject to ensure they are aware of the campaign should a vulnerable woman “Ask for Angela” at their venue. Ask for Angela is a safety initiative that allows people to discreetly seek help if they feel unsafe or threatened in a venue. They can ask staff for “Angela” to indicate discreetly that they need help. A trained staff member will then assist the person, which could include helping them leave the venue, calling a taxi, or contacting the police.
The improvements are being made through a working partnership between the Council, Thames Valley Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Reading’s Business Improvement District (BID) and promotes the work of the Community Safety Partnership in this area.
We’ll also be supporting the University of Reading’s Reclaim The Night March which takes place on Friday 29 November at 5pm, meeting at Reading Town Hall, marching for an end to gender-based violence. Women and those that identify as women are invited to participate in the March.
We’ll keep working to make Reading a safer place for everyone. Please do all you can to change attitudes and help assist in making that happen.
Liz Terry is the leader of Reading Borough Council
