Young people in Haringey are being encouraged to do and think more to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), through a new campaign putting young people at its very heart.
The campaign centres around a series of three videos each focused on a different group: young women, young men and professionals who work with young people.
They seek to #ReframeTheBlame, showing young women that they are not at fault for any abuse targeting them, asking boys to be aware of how their own behaviour can be problematic, and appealing to professionals to act swiftly and decisively in the face of warning signs.
The videos have been a fantastic example of co-production, being a collaborative effort between Solace Women's Aid, local charity Living Under One Sun (LUOS), Rank and File Productions, The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) and Haringey’s own VAWG prevention team. Young people from CONEL, Solace’s Summer School of Power and LUOS helped to design the dialogue, style and delivery of each short film, as well as appearing in the videos themselves.
The series of short films will be shown on Haringey Council’s website and social media channels, as well as being shared with schools and colleges throughout the borough. They support Haringey’s 10 year VAWG Strategy (2016-26), which focuses on prevention, support for victims and survivors, holding preparators accountable and developing a coordinated community response to VAWG.
Councillor Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, said: “Our society continues to have a serious problem with violence being committed against women and girls – one that it will take all of our efforts to address and correct.
“This campaign reminds us all not to blame victims of abuse, but to put the onus where it should be – on perpetrators of violence and on those who enable them. We must challenge our own attitudes and those we see around us – our words and actions must show at all times that violence against women and girls is unacceptable and that misogyny should be confronted wherever we see it.
“I’d like to thank all those whose hard work went into crafting these videos, particularly the young people from Haringey who were involved throughout the process.”
Cllr Lucia das Neves, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Well-being, said: “Ensuring that Haringey’s women and young girls are safe and feel safe is an absolute priority for this council.
“I’m delighted that we’ve launched this campaign, speaking directly to girls, boys and professionals about how to confront sexism and misogyny. I hope this campaign will help get people across Haringey thinking more deeply about how to protect women and girls in our communities and their own roles in promoting women’s safety.
