Concerns over violence against women and girls plan

A new strategy is being developed in a bid to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Guernsey and Alderney.

The Committee for Home Affairs said the strategy reflected a commitment to improve support for victims and focus on key areas including strengthening prevention and early intervention through education.

Officials said it would continue to modernise legislation and justice processes to ensure they were victim-centred and fit for purpose.

Campaigner Poppy Murray said the strategy was a "step in the right direction", but she raised concerns including it being based on "very limited data".

Sharing her "mixed feelings" about the strategy, Murray said it would rely on women who had already engaged with support services, which may not give an accurate picture of the issue.

She said the strategy was therefore putting the "cart before the horse".

An email appeal for women to come forward, added Murray, should be "trauma-informed" and needed to acknowledge this could be "triggering" for victims, many who had been "let down by the government to date".

She said a lack of detail on how women would be safeguarded during the process was "irresponsible" if the government did not follow through in the "right way".

Murray said she was "disappointed" that the announcement had not included a clear plan to collect data from "across the whole island" - rather than using historic records.

A Home Affairs Committee spokesman, meanwhile, said the strategy was in "very early stages", while concerns would be "addressed" during consultation phases.

Deputy Munazza Malik said: "The development of a general VAWG strategy allows us to refresh our thinking and review what has already been achieved and clearly identify what our efforts should be focused on next to have the largest impact."

The VAWG lead added: "I would like to assure victims of these offences and the wider community that funding and operational focus will remain on this issue."

The committee said it would build on the worker delivered through its domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy (2022-2025), which helped strengthen the islands' response to domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Key achievements from that work included the establishment of Willow House, the bailiwick's sexual assault referral centre, officials said.

The committee said it also wanted to look at the principles of the Council of Europe Convention on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, and how they could help locally.

Officials said the convention was recognised as the leading international framework for preventing violence against women and girls and would formally recognise it as a human rights issue and a form of discrimination.

Malik said the previous strategy allowed the committee to "make significant headway with legislative reform, enhancing policing powers and victim protections".

"But there is still much more to do," she said.

"Nationally and locally, women and girls are disproportionately victim to these forms of violence, and our key objective with this work is to make as much change as possible, where it will make the biggest difference, and as such we want to be looking where the problem is largest – with women and girls being victim to unacceptable, horrendous behaviours

"That isn't to say men won't be listened to and won't experience positive change from this work. My hope is that the entire community will benefit."

Malik said a period of consultation would be carried out with key stakeholders about what had already been achieved and what should be done next.

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