Agenda item

Report to follow.

Presentation by Will Maimaris

Mr Joe Benmore, Ms Chantelle Fatania and Mr Will Maimaris introduced the item.

The meeting commented that: 

·         The report was full of information and summarised many perspectives and issues very well.

·         It was important to view the work partly as an early intervention strategy to ensure that an appropriate level of understanding was present in young people which would reduce the likelihood of individuals becoming perpetrators and victims in the future.

·         It was important to note that not all forms of violence was reported and that the actual number of violence experienced by individuals was much higher than that which was reported.

·         The Individuals suffering from violence often had families and the children and those families were also victims.

·         A woman had been recently murdered in the borough and although the Police response was clear in that particular situation, more clarity was required from other agencies regarding their responses.

·         Some work needed to be done regarding having more clear dialogue with young girls regarding the issue across schools in Haringey.

·         More clarity was required when discussing Black and Minority Ethnic groups. More effort needed to be placed on ensuring that the correct language was used and groups which needed to be targeted for communication was clear.

·         More joint communication was required regarding the issue whether it was between the Council, the Police or the Public Health team.

·         An Expo Workshop had been held and one of the things highlighted by some of the groups at the workshop regarding accessing services for those who may be at risk. Raising awareness was also important regarding the issue. The Jewish Women’s Group also raised issues regarding work that needed to be done in a more sensitive way. Further, it was also important to continue working with men and boys regarding the issue. 

·         The use of the word ‘domestic’ when referring to violence risked minimising the issue of violence.

·         Whittington Health was doing some work with the Police and other organisations. However, as the hospital was technically located in Islington, some checks would have to be made to ensure that there was a cross-border working between Islington and Haringey.

·         Mental Health and wellbeing were strands that should run through the processes in relation to tackling the issues raised as It could help set a useful framework for how to address the issues.

·         The issues were long-standing and the issues also existed in relation to older women, many of whom would not go out at night due the level of concern.

·         Statistics showed that the gender pay gap had not narrowed in the last 25 years. This was important to note as it was also not clear the extent to which women and girls were involved in all of the conversations regarding processes and services in general, including housing design, economic interventions and other areas. The lack of safety that women were under also resulted from systemic and cultural inequalities.   

·         Understanding intersectionality locally was also fundamental to ensuring all women's voices were heard.

·         Consideration could be given to having a women’s section when writing reports or policies. Issues  which impacted on women’s lives regarding designing infrastructure needed to be taken into consideration. Efforts also needed to be made regarding the removal of stigma for women to discuss their experience of violence.

·         Youth services and youth work needed to address issues regarding the balance of power in relationships and how men exert power over women and how this played a role in violence against women and girls.

·         It was important that discussion on violence issues be destigmatised like mental health issues had been and it was important to find role models who one would not have originally suspected to have suffered from domestic violence. This would help women to feel encouraged to speak out.

·         Power regarding how domestic violence issues were dealt with largely lay with the Police with and it was important to consider how successful the Police were in dealing with the issues. Having clear methods on how issues were dealt with would encourage women engage with relevant authorities.

·         Young people needed to be informed regarding what a healthy interpersonal relationships generally looked like.

The Chair invited everyone to reflect on the discussion and consider how the conversation could be progressed within the services and organisations moving forward.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.