Brighton and Hove City Council are asking members of the public for their help in shaping a new approach to tackle domestic and sexual violence and abuse. The City Council are working together with East Sussex County Council to ensure and re-affirm the right services are available to those at risk. An estimate 1.9 million adults aged from 15 to 59 years old have experienced domestic abuse in the last year according to Office of National Statistics. Within that figure there were 46 arrests for every 100 cases reported by 39 separate police forces across the UK. There is currently no way of ensuring that the services for someone in the middle of the Sussex countryside are the same as those available to those in Brighton and other major towns within Sussex, so the new survey is aiming to bridge that gap. From the results found between now and May, they are aiming to improve the response to abuse, stalking, harassment, FGM, forced marriage and sexual exploitation. It’s a big survey hoping to make a lot of change but the more people fill it out the more information they will have to work with.
The survey is open for anyone to take over the age of 18 who lives works or travels to Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. It’s for anyone affected by violence and abuse, anyone who has been affected by a friend or family members experience of abuse or have witnessed violence and abuse within their community. Councillor Bill Bentley from the East Sussex County Council said of the survey “We have some extremely successful services already in place, but we want to find out what more we can do to tackle the issue and provide appropriate support across the city, as well as the towns and rural areas of East Sussex”.
The UK’s leading charity committed to ending gender based violence and abuse, AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) was commissioned to conduct the online consultation. Take part here. There is an additional short survey for those who feel as though they have been an abuser which you can take here.
