IDAS launches website to mark the UN Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls.
IDAS joins the global campaign, ‘16 days of action to end gender-based violence’, from 25th November, UN Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls, to 10th December, UN International Day of Human Rights.
IDAS will highlight different types of gender-based violence with a series of infographics and free bite-size webinars. IDAS are also launching a website to amplify the voices of survivors who wish to share their experiences of gender-based violence.
The website will enable people to share their stories, giving an insight into the scope and scale of the issue. Click here to go to the 16 days 16 stories website
In Yorkshire, thousands of women and girls are living with the devastating impacts of gender-based violence.
Despite the rights and protections afforded in the UK, many women and girls still feel unsafe in their own homes, in public spaces, in their places of work, schools, and universities. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic which has increased isolation and locked women and children in homes with violent abusers.
Violence against women is as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women
of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill health than traffic accidents
and malaria combined. (Source UN.org)
As the leading specialist domestic abuse service in Yorkshire, IDAS work with over 15,000 people each year, 92 % of whom are women. IDAS report that the patterns of violence and abuse are underpinned by attitudes and beliefs that are deeply ingrained in our society.
Sarah Hill, CEO of IDAS says, “At IDAS, we have over 40 years of experience supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. Everyday our teams support hundreds of people, mainly women and children, who tell us about the violence and abuse they experience at the hands of someone who is supposed to love them. It is clear, these experiences are not ‘isolated incidents’ but part of a wider issue that we need to tackle at a societal level. We all have a role to play in challenging sexist attitudes and beliefs and supporting victims and survivors. While 16 days of action is an important call to action, we need coordinated, sustained action every day to reduce the number of women and children killed or harmed. We hope this will galvanise more people into taking action and playing their part in creating a society free from abuse and violence”
IDAS invite everyone to visit the website and to learn more about gender-based violence and abuse, to share the infographics and the survivor stories to shine a light on this issue.
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