Liverpool City Region leaders release new mission statement in fight against violence against women and girls

During the next stage of the process the Combined Authority is focusing on using the consultation process to establish a better understanding of:-

► The breadth of organisations and service areas that are involved in addressing violence against women and girls and how they can work better together.

► Service users' experiences, and the information they receive.

► Funding and how services are commissioned.

► Education and prevention work.

► Awareness raising and campaigns.

We want to learn from the very best practice from our Region, the UK, and internationally before apply it locally to achieve better outcomes for our communities going forward.

Speaking to mark the launch of this joint approach, Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:- "The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is committed to building a fair and inclusive City Region where everyone, irrespective of their ability, age, economic circumstances, sexual orientation, race, faith or gender is given the opportunity to thrive.  This can only be achieved if all of our residents are safe and feel safe. This is why a key priority for the Combined Authority is to highlight and tackle the issue of violence against women and girls across our City Region. I look forward to working with key stakeholders to ensure that our strategy can make a meaningful change to women and girls across our Region and put an end to the scourge of gendered violence."

Deputy PCC, Cllr Emily Spurrell, said:- "No woman or girl chooses to be a victim of crime or subjected to violence. As a Region, we must be committed to ensuring those who do suffer at the hands of others get the very best possible care and support and ultimately focus on putting a stop to VAWG for good. Through the Victim Care Merseyside service, the Police Commissioner and I have already pledged more money and enhanced services to support some of the most vulnerable women in our Region. As we mark International Women's Day, I am delighted to join the Metro Mayor and our partners in reaffirming our pledge to ending VAWG and announcing the next steps towards creating a Region-wide strategy aimed at making this a reality."

Assistant Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, said:- "Nobody should be forced to live in fear and I want to reassure our communities that Merseyside Police is dedicated to tackling all forms of violence and abuse. We know that some women and girls feel trapped and frightened and feel they have to suffer in silence but I want to assure them that there are a lot of organisations; including ourselves; who will help them if they need it. We have specially trained Officers who are focused on listening not only to those that are victims, but those that know people who are victims. We want them to come forward in confidence so we can take action. Just last year we launched the innovative Project Red Umbrella which seeks to protect street sex workers from sexual violence and we will continue to work with our partners to tackle the issue of violence against women."

Tabitha Morton, women's equality campaigner who helped draw up the strategy, added:- "Our aim is to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) and this means addressing the root cause, not just reshaping the edges; recognising that the disproportionate amount of violence women face is due to structural inequalities, and that while this violence exists women are not free. We have to fund specialist services that help women rebuild their lives, ensure women are supported through our judicial system and train Police Officers, health workers and social workers in how to identify and support those facing violence. We need to educate our young people, enabling them to break the cycle of violence and enjoy safe loving relationships. During the last 6 months a huge amount of work has been done in the Liverpool City Region to end VAWG to share best practice and commit to our Region being a gold standard in the country. We still have lots to do and I look forward to continuing the work with my colleagues in specialist services, criminal justice, Local Authorities, health, education and housing to make ending VAWG a reality."