Call for Views – Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy and Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy

Consultation opened on 10 January 2022. Closing date 21 March 2022.

Summary

Call for Views to inform the development of a new Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy and an Equally Safe Strategy – A Strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.
This is a Call for Views exercise to inform the development of two new strategies:
(i) a Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy, led jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Justice; and
(ii) an Equally Safe Strategy (a Strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls) led by the Executive Office.

You are invited and encouraged to share your views on issues that could help inform their content, actions and overall direction of the two strategies.

Documents

Consultation description

Please note, the closing date for views to be submitted has been extended to 21 March 2022.

This consultation invites you to share your views on issues to help inform the content, themes and overall direction of a new Domestic and Sexual Abuse strategy and a Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.  We are keen to hear your views on the development of both these strategies.

We want to build on work that has already been undertaken on domestic and sexual abuse, recognising that anyone can be affected, that this is everyone’s business and that responsibility for tackling these issues is shared by all.  This is not simply a private matter.

On the Equally Safe Strategy, a Strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, this is intended to tackle violent and abusive behaviour directed at women and girls precisely because they are women and girls.  This strategy will reach more widely to include other acts and threats of gender based violence that result in, or may result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether occurring in public or in private life, in the physical world or online. 

WAYS TO RESPOND

There are a number of ways that you can get involved.  You can use as many of these as you wish.  

There are two online surveys available for those aged 16 and above; one for the general public and one for victims with lived experience of domestic and sexual abuse. 

For those aged under 16 we are asking our partner organisations to facilitate targeted focus group discussions using a children and young people’s version of the Call for Views document. An easy read version is also available.  Both of these documents include a number of questions on which views are sought.

We would also welcome additional evidence and data specific to Northern Ireland, from practitioners, specialist organisations and academics, to inform the development of both strategies. This information can be submitted using our online written response form on Citizen Space.

If providing a written response we would ask you to respond to the Call for Views using the on-line facility.  If you require a hard copy of the Call for Views documents, or have any other enquiries, please email CallforViews@justice-ni.gov.uk or write to Community Safety Division, Room A4.03, Castle Buildings, Stormont Estate, Belfast, BT4 3SG

Surveys

There are two online surveys available for those aged 16 and above; one for the general public and one for victims with lived experience of domestic and sexual abuse. 

Engagement Events

Online public engagement events and stakeholder focus groups will also be held.

The public engagement events will be held online on:

Wednesday 9 February      2pm – 4pm

Thursday 10 February        10am – 12 noon

Tuesday 22 February          2pm – 4pm

Wednesday 23 February    10am – 12 noon

Thursday 24 February        6pm – 8pm

You can book your ticket on the Eventbrite Website

The Department will contact key stakeholders about the stakeholder focus groups or you can email us at CallforViews@justice-ni.gov.uk

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