Safety plan launched on International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day (Tuesday 8 March), Bury Council and its partners are working to make the borough as safe as possible for women and girls.

Bury is a safe town, but too many women feel unsafe when travelling, working or going out at night.

In the UK, a woman is killed by a man every three days, a figure that has remained unchanged for a decade – with most victims killed by a current or former partner.

That’s why, as part of this year’s International Women’s Day, Bury Council is launching:

• A Women and Girl’s Safety Plan
• A draft Licensed Premises Women's Safety Charter
• The opening of a new refuge for women and girls fleeing domestic violence as part of a Domestic Abuse Strategy

On Wednesday 9 March the council’s Cabinet will also discuss the Community Safety Plan 2022-25 for making all our neighbourhoods safer.

The Women and Girl’s Safety Plan is an important part of the Community Safety Plan, with the Licensed Premises Women’s Safety Charter and Domestic Abuse Strategy as key actions within the Women and Girl’s Safety Plan.

The Women’s Safety Plan sets out how the partners will work together to change behaviours, to make sure places are safe for women and girls, and to engage with the public. It includes:

• Greater Manchester Police working with voluntary groups and the broader community
• Self-defence sessions
• Visible patrols in prominent locations including Heaton Park-Bury Metrolink line with Transport for Greater Manchester
• Focus on anti-spiking
• Changing social behaviour
• Working with children and young people to develop a ‘healthy relationships’

The Licensed Premises Women’s Safety Charter will allow licensed premises to make a commitment to make sure staff are trained and aware of women’s safety; to encourage reporting of incidents; to review the design the public area to make them as safe as possible for women attending licensed premises; adopt the Ask for Angela scheme and other commitments.

The draft charter will go out to consultation shortly and further information about how organisations, the public and community groups can take part will follow.

Domestic Abuse Strategy

Our Community Safety Plan sets out a priority for supporting victims and tackling the causes of domestic abuse.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 makes it clear that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, controlling or coercive, and economic abuse. It creates new powers, overseen by a Domestic Abuse Commissioner. It also places a duty on local authorities to provide safe accommodation support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges.

The Domestic Abuse Strategy sets out how the council and its partners are going to meet this priority by making sure all victims can access timely and effective information, advice and support where they need it.

It recognises that both women and men can be the victims of domestic abuse.

It will make sure that individuals and communities have the means to recognise and understand domestic abuse and live in a culture of healthy relationships.

It will make sure that every perpetrator identified in Bury receives an offer of support to address his or her behaviour.

A new refuge for women and girls fleeing domestic violence has also opened this week providing safe accommodation for victims.

“The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is women and girls safety and by working with our partners, victims and perpetrators and the public we are working to tackle the issue,” said Councillor Richard Gold, Cabinet Member for Communities.

“Our Community Safety Plan sets out our priorities for the next three years to keep all our neighbourhoods safe and in particular it prioritises women’s safety in public places and around the home.

“While rates of domestic abuse in Bury are the third lowest across Greater Manchester we are not complacent about what is happening.”

“We want to make spaces safe for women and girls,” said Cllr Charlotte Morris Cabinet Member for Culture and the Economy and whose portfolio covers licensing.

“Bury is a safe town, but too many women feel unsafe when travelling, working or going out at night.

“We are committed to prioritising women's safety and that’s why the council has created this Charter – to make Bury a town where all women feel confident, welcome and we have a safe night-time economy.

“I’d encourage everyone to take part in the consultation and once it is adopted licensed premises will be asked to show their commitment by signing up to the Charter every year.”