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VAWG data dashboard consultation highlights usefulness of tool

    The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) developed a prototype violence against women and girls (VAWG) data dashboard in 2022. The webpages presented statistics and charts on violence against women and girls in England and Wales, drawing on multiple sources. However, due to reprioritisation at ONS, maintenance of the dashboard stopped and as of April 2024 it was no longer accessible.

    VISION developed a consultation to ascertain the usefulness of a VAWG data dashboard as a result. The call was open from March to May 2024, and 102 responses were received. Most participants responded in their capacity as individuals (n=61), although 25 stated that they were responding on behalf of an organisation and four on behalf of a group. Some participants both responded as an individual and on behalf of an organisation or group.

    Consultation participants responded as people from across a variety of roles and sectors. The
    most commonly cited were working in research or education (n=40) and in policy or planning
    (n=28), 27 people responded as someone with lived experience and 13 as members of the
    public. The remainder comprised those in service provision (n=17), a campaign role (n=10) or
    some other capacity (8).

    Consultation results

    Many participants had heard of the data dashboard before the VISION consultation (n=51), although 28 reported that they had not. Of those who had heard of the dashboard before, most had made use of it (n=39).

    Most participants reported that having a dashboard that brought together data on violence
    and abuse would help them either ‘somewhat’ (n=12) or ‘a lot’ (n=39).

    Participants were asked what they found to be useful about the data dashboard:

    • Data discovery
    • Finding data and finding it faster
    • Breakdowns and local profiles
    • Comparisons
    • Authoritative context
    • Source material

    Participants were asked for their thoughts on the limitations or what was missing from the dashboard:

    • Wider coverage in relation to topics (health, disability, suicide, law, family courts, policy), types of violence and abuse (homicide, forced marriage, sexual violence), and particular groups (men, perpetrators)
    • Deeper context in terms of much more nuanced contextual discussion of what the data means, ‘data without context is misleading’
    • Critical interrogation such as the highlight of methodological limitations
    • Interactive functionality with more scope for further breakdowns by local authority areas and police forces for example
    • Improved search function
    • Positive action such as a ‘section about work being done to support victims/reduce cases’
    • Human stories meaning to go beyond numbers and to tell the human stories that underpin them

    Recommendations

    Through this consultation, approximately 100 people told VISION that a VAWG data dashboard is
    something that they valued having and wish to have again. These included people with lived
    experience of violence and abuse, people working in health, justice, specialist and other
    services, researchers and academics across disciplines, and members of the wider public.

    A violence and abuse data dashboard is needed because it has:

    • Symbolic value: indicating that violence against women and girls matters to the
      Government, and
    • Practical value: as a functional and easy to use tool facilitating access to high
      quality data spanning a range of types of violence, groups, areas and years.

    In April 2024, ONS’ prototype VAWG data dashboard was withdrawn due to reprioritisation of
    resources within that organisation. Since then, a new Government has come into office with a
    stated mission to halve violence against women and girls within the decade. How progress towards this commitment is monitored will be essential to its success. General population health and crime surveys, alongside other data sources, will be key and that includes a revitalised, fit for purpose VAWG data dashboard. To instill trust and collective investment in this goal, a public platform for transparent monitoring is needed and the dashboard could be an effective, useful tool.

    Next steps

    VISION is a cross-sectoral consortium of academics and government and service partners
    working with UK data on violence and abuse. We are aware that further development and relaunching of a data dashboard will require a collaborative effort from relevant departments of
    state, data providers (not least ONS) and external funding. Drawing on our work in this area
    we aim to coordinate this effort, with three initial objectives:

    • Resource: Identify partners and funding source(s)
    • Define: Agree clear definitions to best capture and monitor subgroup and temporal
      trends in VAWG and violent crime in the population
    • Design and test a revised violence and abuse data dashboard with people from
      across sectors

    To download the report:

    Consultation: Is there a need for a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) data dashboard

    Or for further information, please contact Sally at sally.mcmanus@city.ac.uk

    Photo licensed by Adobe Stock online images

    Referral outcomes for victim-survivors of sexual violence accessing specialist services

      Sexual violence and abuse (SVA) is highly prevalent globally, has devastating and wide-ranging effects on victim-survivors, and demands the provision of accessible specialist support services.

      In the UK, Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW), a voluntary third sector organization, is the main provider of specialist SVA services. Understanding the profile of victim-survivors who are referred to RCEW and their referral outcomes is important for the effective allocation of services.

      Using administrative data collected by three Rape Crisis Centres in England between April 2016 and March 2020, VISION researchers Annie Bunce, Niels Blom and Estela Capelas Barbosa, used multinomial regression analysis to examine the determinants of victim-survivors’ referral outcomes, controlling for a wide range of potentially confounding variables.

      They discovered that support needs, more so than the type of abuse experienced, predicted whether victim-survivors were engaged with services. Particularly, the presence of mental health, substance misuse and social, emotional, and behavioral needs were important for referral outcomes. The referral source also influenced referral outcomes, and there were some differences according to demo-graphic characteristics and socioeconomic factors.

      This research was co-produced with stakeholders from RCEW, who informed interpretation of these findings.

      For further information please see: Determinants of Referral Outcomes for Victim–Survivors Accessing Specialist Sexual Violence and Abuse Support Services (tandfonline.com)

      Or contact Annie at annie.bunce@city.ac.uk  

      Photo from licensed Adobe Stock library

      VISION Adolescent Domestic Abuse conference

        This event is in the past.

        If registered, please enter through the main entrance in the University Building, across from Northampton Square, a green space with a gazebo. There is also a silver sculpture in front of University Building.

        Only those that registered will be able to enter the conference room.

        To register please see: VISION and VASC Adolescent Domestic Abuse conference

        The UK Prevention Research Partnership Violence, Health & Society (VISION) consortium and the Violence and Society Centre at City, University of London, are pleased to announce the Adolescent Domestic Abuse conference.

        Thursday 18th April 2024, 10:00 – 17:00 followed by a reception 
        Oliver Thompson Lecture Theatre (Tait Bldg), City, University of London, EC1B 0HB 

        Adolescent domestic abuse, which includes physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse that occurs between young people who are, or were, dating, is often overlooked in research, policy and practice. The current definition of domestic abuse leaves those aged under 16 in teenage relationships falling into the gap between child protection procedures and adult-focused domestic abuse policy. 

        The conference brings together academics, practitioners, and policy makers to share existing research, policy and practice.

        Registration is required and free. This is an in person conference only and catering will be provided. If you cannot attend but would like the slides, please contact the email listed below.

        The programme: 

        • 9:30 – 10:00 Registration & refreshments 
        • 10:00 – 10:20 Welcome & setting the scene, Dr Ruth Weir, Violence and Society Centre, City, University of London and Katy Barrow-Grint, Assistant Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police
        • 10:20 – 10:40 Introductory Speaker, Louisa Rolfe OBE, Metropolitan Police and National Police Chief Council lead for Domestic Abuse
        • 10:40 – 11:00 Rapid evidence review on domestic abuse in teenage relationships, Flavia Lamarre, and Dr Ruth Weir, City, University of London
        • 11:00 – 11:30 Learning from the lived experience, SafeLives Changemakers
        • 11:30 – 12:00 Researching abuse within teenage relationships: A critique of a decade’s work and what we could do better, Professor Christine Barter, Co-Director of the Connect Centre for International Research on Interpersonal Violence and Harm, University of Central Lancashire 
        • 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
        • 13:00 – 14:20 Panel 1: Teenage relationships and abuse: What the research says, chaired by Professor Sally McManus, Director of the Violence and Society Centre and Deputy Director of the VISION research project
        • Panel 1: Step up, Speak Out: Amplifying young people’s voices in understanding and responding to adolescent domestic abuse, Janelle Rabe, Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, Durham University
        • Panel 1: ‘In practice it can be so much harder’: Young people’s approaches and experiences of supporting friends experiencing domestic abuse, Jen Daw and Sally Steadman South, SafeLives
        • Panel 1: Healthy relationships: children and young people attitudes and influences, Hannah Williams and Sarah Davidge, Women’s Aid
        • Panel 1: Intimate partner femicide against young women, Dr Shilan Caman, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
        • 14:20 – 14:35 Break
        • 14:35 – 15:35 Panel 2: Sexual violence in teenage relationships, chaired by Katy Barrow-Grint, Thames Valley Police
        • Panel 2: “Always the rule that you can’t say no”: Adolescent women’s experiences of sexual violence in dating relationships – Dr Kirsty McGregor, Loughborough University 
        • Panel 2: Empowering Youth: Addressing Online Pornography and Adolescent Domestic Abuse – Insights from the CONSENT Project – Berta Vall, Elena Lloberas and Jaume Grané, Blanquerna, Barcelona, Spain and The European Network for Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence, Berlin, Germany
        • Panel 2: Image-Based Sexual Abuse as a Facet of Domestic Abuse in Young People’s Relationships – Dr Alishya Dhir, Durham University
        • 15:35 – 15:50 Break
        • 15:50 – 16:50 Panel 3: Specialist services and local government, chaired by Dr Olumide Adisa, University of Suffolk
        • Panel 3: The role and value of Early Intervention Workers in supporting children and young people aged 11–18 in a domestic abuse service context – Elaha Walizadeh and Leonor Capelier, Refuge 
        • Panel 3: Prevention, Identification, Intervention and Protection: Learning on teenage domestic abuse from a multi-agency model in the London Borough of Islington – Aisling Barker, Islington Borough Council
        • Panel 3: Tackling adolescent domestic abuse in Lambeth – Rose Parker, Erika Pavely, Ariana Markowitz, and Siofra Peeren, Lambeth Health Inequalities Research and Evaluation Network 
        • 16:50 – 17:00 Closing remarks and next steps
        • 17.00 – onwards Drinks reception, Conference attendees are invited to a drinks reception in the Oliver Thompson foyer

        The abstracts

        The abstracts and information on the poster presentations and stands are below for downloading.

        ADA-abstracts-allDownload

        For further information and any questions, please contact VISION at VISION_Management_Team@city.ac.uk

        Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

        Patterns and Predictors of Stranger Rape Locations

          This paper examines the spatial, environmental, and temporal patterns of 10,488 stranger rapes committed over a 15-year period in Greater London, UK.

          We distinguished between two types of stranger rapes according to perpetrator method of approach, i.e. absent/fleeting interaction with victim on approach (S1) or extended interaction with victim on approach (S2). There were a range of locational settings in which perpetrators both encountered their victims and where the offence took place, and these differed by method of approach. The highest number of S1 offences occurred outdoors, with 74% of approaches and 55% of offences located recorded as outside. For S2 rapes, there was more variety in approach locations with only 32% outside. The level of locational correspondence between approach and offence location was 71% for S1 rapes and 28% for S2 rapes. A series of negative binomial regression models identified variables predictive of stranger rape offence location. There were significant associations with transport connections and the night-time economy for both S1 and S2 rapes. Other significant predictors were deprivation score, the percentage of one person properties, and the percentage of private rented properties in a location. The percentage of green space was a significant predictor for S1 rapes only. The current findings challenge the popular narrative that stranger rape occurs in a specific setting (i.e. outside in a secluded location at night) and have implications for place-based crime prevention policy.

          …these findings challenge the popular narrative that stranger rape occurs in a specific setting…

          To download the paper: Patterns and Predictors of Stranger Rape Locations | European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research