Lap dancing is often dismissed as something harmless. But is it? Do we really want to live in a society that encourages the commodification of women? Especially in times of hardship. With the reopening of Elegance nightclub in Portsmouth, we explore this issue.

Ongoing objections to sexual entertainment venues in Portsmouth:

The Portsmouth City Council Licencing Sub Committee was held on 10/09/19 to consider the renewal of the license for a lap dancing club (a Sexual Entertainment Venue or SEV) in Granada Road, Southsea, in the city of Portsmouth.

The committee members included:

• Cllr Claire Udy
• Cllr Lee Mason
• Cllr Jason Fazakerly

Also present was Cllr Scott Payter-Harris

We only became aware of the license renewal for the Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV), late last week. To be clear we have not been involved in this debate in the city for some time but following a few of our supporters urging us to add our voice again we lodged an objection.

Why our objection to the Portsmouth lap dancing club was refused

Our objection was refused by the Licencing Sub-committee on the grounds that we were too late in our submission and after information given to the committee on late objections, of which there were a few, the Licensing manager advised and the committee accepted that the late submissions were not materially different to the five objections given to the committee within the statutory time frame.

We respect this decision and given that it was the view of the committee and the Licensing manager that our objection offered no additional information we thought it pertinent to provide information on our submission and our thoughts on the license renewal below:

What is the Portsmouth Council’s view on Sexual Entertainment venues?

Our view on the licensing of sexual entertainment venues hasn’t changed since we fought alongside other residents in the city for a ‘Nil Cap’ in 2012.

The Council’s own SEV policy states: “that there is no place within the City of Portsmouth of which it could be said that it was situated in a locality in which it would be appropriate to license a sex establishment”. We understand that this decision was then subsequently amended in private by the licensing committee in 2012:

Draft SEV policy as set out ‘Option 2’:

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 7.10 (relating to the numerical control on the number of sex establishments in a particular locality) the presumption to refuse shall not apply to:

• The renewal or variation of an existing sex establishment license; or
• The grant of a new sex establishment licence, whereby an application was made during the transitional period 1 November 2011 until 31 October 2012 to those premises that can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Licensing Authority that during the 12 months prior to the commencement of the transitional period they have been regularly providing sexual entertainment that previously was only regulated under the Licensing Act 2003.

The Nil Cap and Portsmouth lap dancing clubs

At the time of the Nil Cap introduction, we understood this to mean, in layman’s terms, that in effect, a nil cap was introduced, however, this did not apply to clubs with an existing license or those licensed and active in the period described. This is in direct contradiction to the previous decision and we lodged our complaint about this in 2012.

The impact of Sexual Entertainment Venues on Portsmouth women

We are now in seven years on and austerity has taken its toll on our city. Our previous objections remain.

By renewing or allowing the licencing of SEVs in the city the committee is advocating that in times of economic hardship, it is acceptable and expedient for the local authority to rely on the commodification of female residents to generate income. This is difficult to accept at the best of times, but again, it is even harder to understand given the Council’s previous consultation, policy and decision on the licensing of SEVs.

The link between Sexual Entertainment and Violence

Our organisation works every day with the end result of socially entrenched sexism, namely domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking. In the national and international women’s sector of which we are an active part, there is no doubt that the sexual objectification of women – as practiced in SEVs, for example – is directly linked to the incidence of sexual and domestic violence. To be clear, this is not a matter of opinion or conjecture. The link between the objectification of women and discrimination and violence towards women is recognised at an international level by the legally binding United Nations Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which repeatedly calls upon states – including the UK government – to take action against the objectification of women.

The normalisation of porn culture and the objectification of women as a sex class is apparent every day in our society. As members of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, it is of note to refer to their research which evidences “that girls face intolerable levels of harassment in schools on a daily basis. Access to pornography while at school is commonplace and nude images are traded like football stickers. Outside the classroom, abuse of women and girls continues at alarming rates in our society: two women are killed each week by partners or former partners, and over half a million rape and sexual assaults happen each year in England and Wales.”

A survivor’s story

We are also encouraged and empowered by survivor campaigners like the indomitable, Sammy Woodhouse, a victim of the Rotherham child rape scandal and previous lap dancer who is calling for lap dancing clubs to be shut down due to her experience:

“I’m calling on council officials to actually go in and find out for themselves how these clubs are being run. When they are going in they’re finding these clubs are not safe at all, there is a lot of criminal activity going on and it’s something that needs to be shut down once and for all. I’ve lost count how many times myself and other people were sexually assaulted – that happens on a nightly basis. What you’re told is “you’re a lap dancer you’ve got to expect this”. No one should ever be expected to be touched, groped or assaulted. I know girls that have been drugged and raped. It’s almost as if the clubs are grooming the girls to think that the people who work in these clubs are like a tight family network and that they care about the girls, that they’re one big happy family…Essentially, they’re selling women – we’re in 2018 and people think it’s alright to go buy a woman for whatever sexual need it is? Do we want little girls growing up to be a lifeline for lonely old men? It’s exploitation”.

Our request to the Portsmouth City Council

We have requested information from the licensing team at Portsmouth city council, including, but not limited to, a record of the discussions held by the committee members and the due regard and analysis applied by the members to the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty in relation to sex as a protected characteristic. It is our strongly held view that the operation of SEVs does have a negative impact on women and girls as a sex class.

Moreover we would ask the council to reconsider their stance on SEVs and their operation in the city. What is the point of the council claiming they have a Nil Cap when in effect they have never actually applied this exemption?

Shonagh Dillon

CEO – Aurora New Dawn

We are delighted to announce our first Aurora Ambassador – Kirsty Dillon.

Who is Kirsty Dillon?

Kirsty Dillon has been a professional actress and voice-over for 20 years. Her work has seen her collaborate on projects such as ‘Blackout’ for CH4, ‘Locke’ with Tom Hardy, ‘Man Like Mobeen’ on BBC3 Comedy but Kirsty is probably best known for her regular role of DC Gail Stephens in ITV’s Midsomer Murders.

Do you want to see Kirsty’s full history?

If you would like to see Kirsty’s full filmography, click here.

Key Facts about Kirsty Dillon

Place of birth:	Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Date of birth:	1976
University Education:	Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

Kirsty’s Showreel

Kirsty and Aurora New Dawn

Kirsty Dillon is a Portsmouth born and bred actress and a sessional advocate and volunteer on the Aurora DVA car™ service. As a survivor herself, she started her journey working with us when we were in our infancy. Kirsty can always be relied upon to be at our fundraisers, thus far she has sung sober karaoke, walked on fire, run into the freezing cold sea and done an active warrior all to raise funds and awareness for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking.

“I am a passionate advocate for the work Aurora New Dawn does. Not only can I feel the support and professionalism with which they offer this client-led service on the ground, but I am also struck by the respect they across the sector and with frontline agencies. They are team players.

“On a personal note working with Aurora feels inspiring to be part of a large and diverse team. They have furthered my skills and understanding of the complexity of violence against women through practical training and given me a course of reflection that has now become one of the most important aspects of my life. An integral aspect of my own healing has been my engagement with this awesome tribe. BIG UP #TeamAurora.”

Kirsty on International Violence against Women

Kirsty’s Campaign Work

Additionally, Kirsty shows her passion for wanting to make a difference to women and girls through her play, “Groomed to Perfection”.

“This is a site-specific play that I am devising this year with the intention of bringing both parts (Aurora and Acting) of my life together. It is a story of a small group of women in History who experienced sexual violence, grooming, coercion, radicalisation at the hands of one perpetrator. Three of these girls successfully took their own lives and more attempted. I am working in partnership with Aurora New Dawn and the National charity ‘The Girls Network‘ and has been funded by The UK Arts Council and The National Lottery to devise the pilot show in the autumn of 2019. I will be running workshops around performances for survivors and clients of both charities. I cannot thank Aurora New Dawn enough for their guidance, support and their consultancy.”

Find out more about Groomed to Perfection:

Insta: @groomedtoperfection

Twitter: @GroomedP

Tommy Robinson, a special political adviser for UKIP, announced that should he be elected to the European parliament in the 23rd of May 2019 elections, he would voluntarily donate his MEP salary to victims of abuse. What’s not to like? As it turns out, a lot!

Open letter, from women and women’s organisations regarding ‘Tommy Robinson’ and his Euro Election Candidacy

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Born on the 27th of November 1982, in Luton, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, most commonly know as ‘Tommy Robinson’ is an anti-islam activist and former founder/leader of the English Defence League. Convicted of numerous crimes, and banned from Facebook and instagram for hate speech and insiting violence. Tommy Robinson made a bid to become an MEP for the northwest of England in the May 2019 elections.

What crimes has Tommy Robinson committed?

Tommy Robinson has served time in prison, been banned from football, made some disturbing comments to a 15 year old girl online, and been charged with a whole host of convictions. Listed here, are just some of his crimes.

In 2005, Mr. Robinson was given prison time for assault

Tommy assaulted an off-duty police officer who was attempting to intervene in a domestic incident between Tommy and his partner.

In 2011, he was charged with threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour

This was due to Mr. Robinson leading a street brawl with over 100 football fans. Police officers on scene described it as incredibly intimidating to members of the public.

Later in 2011, he received another assault charge

This was a charge of common assault which took place at an EDL demonstration in Blackburn.

In 2013, he was again sent to prison, this time for possession of a false passport

Tommy Robinson attempted to travel to the U.S using someone else’s passport, but was stopped at JFK airport.

Another count of fraud he was charged with in 2013 was mortgage fraud

Tommy was involved in a fraudulent conspiracy to obtain a mortgage through ‘misrepresentation’.

In 2018, Tommy Robinson was put into custody for breach of the peace

After an hour of Facebook live broadcasting, Tommy was arrested outside the Leeds Crown Court.

In 2019, Tommy was found guilty of being in contempt of court

This is due to ‘aggressively confronting’ the defendants on trial for grooming children and inciting his followers to do the same. It resulted in the case almost being thrown out of court.

We could go on about his criminal record, including drug abuse and football hooliganism, but you get the picture.

What was Tommy Robinson’s pledge to victims?

Tommy Robinson promised that, should he be elected an MEP, he would donate his earnings to victims of sexual grooming. It is our opinion that Mr. Robinson is not a role model for others to look up to and this offer exploited victims and survivors to further his racist agenda.

Who are the EVAW Coalition?

EVAW or the End Violence Against Women Coalition are a specialist group made up of support services, activists, survivors, research specialists and NGOs. The goal of the EVAW alliance is to put a stop to all manifestations of violence brought against women and girls.

The EVAW open letter

The EVAW composed an open letter to reject Tommy Robinson’s offer and our CEO is a proud signatory on this. Since this article was first written, Tommy Robinson’s bid to become MEP was defeated.

The open letter rejecting Tommy Robinson’s offer

Dear Media Editors,Community Leaders, MPs, Activists, Friends,

‘Tommy Robinson’, a man convicted of assault, rioting and fraud, a thug with a long history of making racist statements, has made a career out of causing trouble and division. He is now standing as an MEP candidate in the North West.

Tommy Robinson has made claims that, if elected, he will offer his salary to the child victims of what he terms ‘Muslim rape gangs’. We, as organisations and individuals fighting tirelessly against the abuse of women and girls, as survivors of abuse and their families, and as people who care about our communities, do not want your money, Tommy.

We are calling on the people of the North West to reject Tommy Robinson’s hatred, to register to vote and to turn out against him in the upcoming European Elections. He has no place as our elected representative.

Those who have suffered sexual and physical abuse were failed by those who should have protected them. But Tommy Robinson is no ally for the children he claims to stand up for. Tommy doesn’t care about the rights of women and girls – he is exploiting the pain of survivors and their families to fuel racist hate for his own gain. He is a misogynist and has recklessly put victims at risk for his own moment of the media spotlight.

Tommy Robinson’s factually incorrect messages about ‘grooming’, and his attempt to portray himself as a champion of the cause, are an insult to survivors of abuse.

They are also a profound insult to the women who have spent their whole lives building support services for survivors and working to ensure some cases finally got to court. Where were you during that work Tommy Robinson? The far right was never any part of this work.

We do not want a convicted thug and racist who does not truly care about abuse survivors on our ballot papers and we reject you Tommy Robinson.

In solidarity,

Sarah Green & Rachel Krys, Co-Directors, End Violence Against Women Coalition

Gurpreet Virdee, Co-Director, Women and Girls Network

Stella Dadzie, British Educationalist, activist, writer and historian

Shonagh Dillon, Founder and CEO, Aurora New Dawn

Pragna Patel, Director, Southall Black Sisters

Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, The Women’s Budget Group

Maggie Parks OBE, Chief Executive, The Women’s Centre Cornwall

Diana Nammi, Executive Director, Iranian Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation

Amna Abdul- Children and Young People’s Lead, National Women’s Aid

Women’s March London

Akeela Ahmed MBE, founder, She Speaks We Hear

Aisha Ali-Khan, founder, Women United

Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, Lawyer and founder, Women in Leadership publication

Rachel Krengel, Intersectional Feminist Activist

Carys Afoko, founder, Level Up

Harriet Wistrich, Director, Centre for Women’s Justice

Marai Larasi MBE, Executive Director, Imkaan

Baljit Banga, Director, London Black Women’s Project

Christine McNaught, CEO, FWT Centre for women

Naana Otoo-Oyortey, Executive Director, FORWARD

Yvonne Traynor, CEO, Rape Crisis South London / Surrey Sussex

Dr. Miranda Horvath, Middlesex University

Natasha Walter, Feminist Activist and Author – Living Dolls

Gemma Snowball, DHR Team Development Manager, Standing Together Against Domestic Violence

Rebecca Vagi, Housing Manager, Standing Together Against Domestic Violence

Miranda Pio, Programme Manager and Policy Lead, Standing Together Against Domestic Violence

Professor Aisha K. Gill, Professor of Criminology Co-Chair of EVAW

Aisha Graham-Sharif-, Intersectional Feminist Activist

Philomina Azu, Intersectional feminist activist

Forida Khatoun, Equalities Campaigner

Shazia Shamim, Equalities Campaigner

Monsura Mahmoud, Equalities Campaigner

Shaista Aziz, Cllr Rose Hill and Iffley, Oxford

Professor Marianne Hester, University of Bristol

Professor Liz Kelly CBE, London Metropolitan University

Yasmin Rehman, Human Rights Activist

Dr. Fiona Vera-Grey, School of Law, Durham University

Jo Todd, CEO, RESPECT

Sara Kirkpatrick, RESPECT

Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm, Author and Domestic Abuse Specialist

Rachel Adamson, Director, Zero Tolerance

RMT Women’s Advisory Group

Signatory list accurate at the time of publishing.

Victims and survivors are our central priority, so as part of National Stalking Awareness Week we interviewed one of our clients, Grace*, who used the Aurora Stalking service – In this blog post Grace speaks to survivors about her experience.

Q: How did you find the support helped you?

A: It’s difficult to adequately express the level of professionalism offered with a genuine empathetic ear from everyone that I dealt with.

The support was a major part of keeping me safe and well physically but more vital mentally.

The support also gave me a realistic understanding of the process that the police and court system have to follow. It gave me a person in the know and company to court, which I was dreading.

Additionally there were practical things that were suggested to aid me keep records, keep safe and keep going.

 

Q: Did getting independent support make a difference?

A: Absolutely it made a huge difference to have support and understanding of the problems faced. Coping strategies and experts who weren’t ‘freaked out’ like some family and friends (understandable yet hard to deal with) was key to keeping my sanity. I am certain that I would not have coped without this support to see things through to the courts and the convictions that followed.

 

Q: What message do you have to share with other victims?

A: Try to focus on the basics of looking after your health with good food, water and try to get some nature (with company if necessary to be safe)

Try to accept that it is not your fault, that you’re not going mad…the brain chunter is going to happen, so find ways to manage it…music, movies, good company and talk it out with trusted friends or the stalking team.

Contact your doctor and keep regular appointments.

Try not to isolate yourself, tell those close to you, work and any other network like spiritual/religious group, neighbours etc. Assess those who are a support or those who may unintentionally add to the stress.

It does get better.

It’s a temporary life hurdle that eventually makes you more resilient, clear on boundaries and clear that you can continue to have a life and that you will not accept any compromise of your boundaries. Also be clear that there are some people who require intervention from the justice system.

You cannot reason with an unreasonable person, get advice immediately from the police or stalking team and stick to it.

 

 

We would like to express a huge thank you to Grace for sharing her experience.

If you are concerned you are being stalked please contact us at stalking@aurorand.org.uk or 02392 479254

For those outside of Hampshire and the IOW you can also contact the services below, they will put you in contact with local specialist stalking services or support you directly:

National stalking helpline – 0808 802 0300 run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust – The Helpline is open 09:30 to 16:00 weekdays except for Wednesdays when it is open 13:00 to 16:00. The Helpline is not open on bank holidays.

Or

Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service – Telephone: 020 3866 4107.

*Not her real name

The Aurora Team and trustees invite you to our Annual General meeting – 2019

This is an opportunity for you to come along, meet the team and ask them about the work they do with victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and Stalking.

There will also, of course, be cake!

Information:

29^th April 2019

Time – 5pm – 6.30pm

Location – Portsmouth – PO1 1PJ

Register to attend:

If you would like to attend please contact us on info@aurorand.org.uk and title the email AGM 2019 – full details of the event will follow after registration

Reviewing the case of Natalie Connolly

Along with many others, we have written to the Attorney General to ask for a review into the case of Natalie Connolly and the unduly lenient sentence given to her killer, John Broadhurst.

As ever our thoughts are with Natalie’s family and friends. We hope in some way we can help support them and bring justice to her. Her life meant something to them, and to us, and her death is currently the script of her killer.

You can write to the Attorney General at to ask for a review into this unduly lenient sentence at uls.referrals@attorneygeneral.gov.uk.

A copy of our letter

Dear Attorney General,

I am writing as the CEO of a charity that supports victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking in the South East of England. I have worked in this sector for over two decades.

I was shocked and saddened to see the case details of Natalie Connolly emerge this week and the sentence that was passed down to her killer, John Broadhurst. Broadhurst received three years and eight months. I am shocked and confused that this case was changed halfway through the murder trial to being tried under manslaughter. Given the circumstances of the case, I am further disappointed and appalled at what appears to be an unduly lenient sentence handed to Broadhurst by Justice Julian Knowles.

It is noteworthy that this sentence was handed down on the same day as the publication of the third Femicide Census, which evidences the murders of women in the UK over 2017 and the sheer impact and brutality that male violence has on women in this country.

Natalie received 40 separate injuries to her body. Including internal trauma, a broken left orbital bone, facial injuries and a bottle inserted into her vagina which broke and severed an artery.

The case appears to be one where the Justice system asserts that Natalie “consented” to being murdered. Natalie has been forgotten and justice has been denied of her. For example, Justice Knowles comments in his sentencing remarks:

“24. I cannot be sure that Natalie was not capable in fact of consenting, notwithstanding her extreme intoxication, and I will proceed on the basis that she did indicate her consent to being beaten by you with a shoe and with your hand.

25. I also accept that some of the injuries Natalie suffered, including the bruising to her head and the blow out fracture to her left orbit – which were probably her most serious injuries – may have been caused accidentally as she stumbled around in a heavily intoxicated state and collided with objects or caught herself in the face with her watch. I do not hold you responsible for those.”

I am concerned that the law has not been applied correctly here with particular reference to capacity to consent under the Sexual Offences Act 2003:

• Section 74 defines consent as ‘if he agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice’. Prosecutors should consider this in two stages. They are:

“Whether a complainant had the capacity (i.e. the age and understanding) to make a choice about whether or not to take part in the sexual activity at the time in question.

Whether he or she was in a position to make that choice freely, and was not constrained in any way. Assuming that the complainant had both the freedom and capacity to consent, the crucial question is whether the complainant agrees to the activity by choice.

The question of capacity to consent is particularly relevant when a complainant is intoxicated by alcohol or affected by drugs….”

The statements by Justice Knowles appear to contradict themselves. How could Natalie be so intoxicated that in his view she was able to break her own bones from “stumbling around” yet in this intoxicated state she still, in his view, has the capacity to consent?

Broadhurst has shown no remorse in his treatment and killing of Natalie, he left her bleeding and dying at the bottom of the stairs, went to bed and slept. His words to the call handler when he did decide to call was that Natalie was “as dead as a doughnut”. The paramedics stated he showed no remorse for Natalie’s death.

Evidence was submitted to the jurors that Broadhurst was jealous and controlling and wanted to teach Natalie “a lesson” for chatting to other men. He certainly took control of Natalie’s life, he ended it. This is the ultimate control and the last use of power from a man who, in my view, saw Natalie as nothing more than his property to use, abuse, rape, mutilate and kill.

The only person’s voice that has been heard in this case is that of Broadhurst, a man whose behavior seems very typical of a predatory abuser in relationships. A man whose view of Natalie was so little he has written a script for his killing of her that blames her entirely and his script has been accepted by the justice system.

Victims and survivors will have seen this news. Victims and Survivors will read it. They will know that their version of Broadhurst is reading it too.

We, therefore, request a full in-depth review into the case of Natalie Connelly. Her death has affected many, not least her child, her siblings, her family, and her friends, but survivors everywhere. It is imperative that in honouring the life of Natalie, this case is reviewed and the right message is sent out to perpetrators of male violence against women.

Yours Sincerely,

Shonagh Dillon LLB

CEO – Aurora New Dawn

The Aurora Abuse Support Helpline and Referral Service

It is with great sadness that Aurora’s Abuse support Helpline and Referral Service ended on the 31^st March 2018, after 6 years of operation.  I have been so proud to be the manager of this service since its inception, and along with the CEO of Aurora New Dawn, I feel we created a service that offered a unique addition to both Aurora services and the other domestic abuse support services offered across the county.  I wanted to take time to write this blog to share my experience and to thank everyone who has been involved.

The start of the Helpline

The Aurora Helpline and Referral Service came into operation in August, 2012. As an organisation, we were conscious that DVA survivors in our local and surrounding area did not have access to a local independent Out of Hours specialist service.  This meant that the only option that survivors had if they needed support during the night or over the weekend, was to call the police or a national helpline service.  Not all survivors want police support at this time and whilst we appreciate and respect the work of the national support helplines, we wanted to offer a bespoke, localised triage option for survivors.

We also wanted to offer a referral pathway for services such as police, nurses and out of office emergency teams that could refer survivors of domestic abuse at the time of crisis. Our volunteers could engage with survivors immediately and offer emotional empathetic support as well as safety planning, risk assessing and onward referral to a specialist service in their area.

With this in mind the Aurora Helpline and Referral Service was ‘born’. At the time, it was an innovative service that offered a real opportunity for survivors to receive early support at a time when they needed it most and offered early access to specialist services providing wraparound support for them. The underlying premise was simple and evidence-based; there is a ‘window of opportunity’ when people seek help and if you offer support at that point, they are more likely to engage with support services and the criminal justice system (Domestic Violence Matters, 2005). This engages people quickly, improves their safety and reduces the likelihood of future incidents.

Who did the Helpline help?

Aurora supports both female and male survivors of domestic abuse but as per national and global statistics the overwhelming majority of survivors that came through our helpline were female, 96% and 89% of alleged perpetrators were male. These figures support and evidence the fact that domestic abuse is a gendered crime. The Crown Prosecution Service data (2014-15), shows that 93% of defendants in domestic abuse court cases are male, and 84% of victims are female with two women still being murdered due to male violence every three days in England and Wales (ONS, 2017)

Although I managed the service it was the volunteers that enabled every shift to happen every year even at Christmas and bank holidays since August 2012. Over that time, the helpline has been supported by 88 volunteers offering a service to 2460 clients. The volunteers offered their services for free and came from all walks of life. We have had volunteers from the University of Portsmouth, survivors of domestic abuse, health care professionals and community members who wanted to give something back. One thing all our volunteers have in common is that they care deeply about the survivors, are passionate about the work Aurora delivers, keeping the feminist ethos and model central to their work, and they are empathetic to our survivors’ experiences whatever stage of their journey they are on.  They want to help and support whether that is a listening ear, safety information or support to engage in the criminal justice system.  Our amazing volunteers have heard some very harrowing stories and yet they have dealt with all situations with professionalism in a person-centred way.

What our volunteers say:

“Volunteering for Aurora alongside my studies has allowed me to gain real-life experience in helping victims of DV that university could not provide. I will truly miss working with this service. My appreciation for this service is immense and I wish the ‘Aurora New Dawn’ community the best of luck for the future.  You’ve made my university experience phenomenal and for that, I cannot thank you enough.”

“Volunteering for Aurora has given me so much insight into how brave survivors are. Their resourcefulness never fails to inspire me. I love being on the helpline.”

What survivors say:

Survivor’s voice is a central part of all our service provision and we believe in capturing their experience to ensure our services are working for them, as such we undertake evaluations with all survivors. For the period of 2017 to 2018 completion of qualitative evaluations with clients using the helpline evidenced the following:

• 83% of clients said they had a greater understanding of risk
• 68% said they were satisfied with the police at the time of contact
• 100% said they had ‘an increased sense of wellbeing’ after speaking with our volunteers
• 100% of clients said that an out of hours’ helpline was important to them

The helpline and Portsmouth

The service has changed and developed over the last six years in line with new contracts and commissioning that has come into place, some of which Aurora has been lucky enough to be involved in. For the past three years, the service has been operating for Portsmouth City only and the core premise of our Helpline was, and remained, the safety of the survivors, how best we can support them and an easy access referral route for survivors and professionals out of hours. The overwhelming majority, 86%, of our referrals came from the police response and patrol officers in Portsmouth and we want to thank them for working in such close partnership with us and trusting us to make a difference to our shared client group.

Wishing the helpline goodbye

I have thoroughly enjoyed implementing; managing and at times being an on-call ‘volunteer’ throughout the six years. I feel huge sadness at the loss of this service but I equally feel very privileged and proud to have been part of such a simple process that engaged so many women at a point where they were ready to talk to us.

I wish to thank the volunteers for their dedication and unyielding support, the partner agencies who referred to us and to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for funding the service. Most importantly I want to extend a MASSIVE thank you to all our brave survivors who trusted us with their stories and allowed us the time to offer them practical and emotional support.

The survivors are some of the strongest, bravest and most resilient people I have met and they always remind me that – Everyone is entitled to live a life free from violence and abuse.

I want to honour the survivors who trusted us and give the final words to them:

“The volunteer was amazing, kind and considerate when asking questions. The service has been really good and helpful. In the situation it’s really nice to have someone that doesn’t judge.”

“Overwhelmed with how much support was available, thank you.”

“Kind – great to speak to.  Genuine and caring and supportive people who understand the issues of DV.”

“Felt help straight away.  Helped recognise other forms of abuse and gained knowledge.”

“Help and explanation Aurora gave was brilliant.”

“Lots of support and felt very comfortable by knowing that there are services here to help.”

“Very supportive and encouraging, would give her [volunteer] the best rating – very high level.”

“They believed me and that is all I needed.”

Lyn Tiller

Aurora – Community Projects Manager

REFERENCES

Evaluation of Domestic Violence Matters; Dr. Liz Kelly et all 2011 and Home Office Research Study 290 Marianne Hester and Nicole Westmarland, University of Sunderland 2005.

Crown Prosecution Service, Violence against Women and Girls Crime Report, 2014–2015.

Office for National Statistics, Crime Statistics, Focus on Violent Crime and Sexual Offences, Year ending March 2016, Chapter 2: Homicide (Published online – Click here: Office for National Statistics, 2017)

What does it mean to be one of our top 18 most amazing sisters? Furthermore, why are we dedicating this article to this year’s Aurora sisterhood? Indeed, this International Women’s Day seems like the most perfect time to look into who these amazing sisters are and what they have done.

International Women’s Day is held every year on 8^th March to celebrate the movement for women’s rights. At Aurora we want to celebrate the women who have inspired and driven us to make a difference to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking.

The Aurora team pulled together a list of their top 18 most amazing sisters for 2018, each woman has inspired us in our work and their efforts mean a lot to us. It goes without saying that these sisters keep us going when the work gets tough.

Who are our top 18 most amazing sisters?

Who are our top sisters? The list of women we have chosen represent the undeniable contributions they have made to the violence against women sector. All these women have formed part of the history of our movement from re-establishing reclaim the night marches, fundraising and naming the women who have died at the hands of male violence to tackling the obvious oppression of women in the legal system.

They are not in any particular order – in our eyes every single one of these women is a total warrior and #TeamAurora thank every single one of them from the bottom of our feminist hearts and boots.

Karen Ingala-Smith

For her heart breaking annual search and recording of ‘counting dead women’ murdered at the hands of men which reminds us all why we work in this sector. If ever we need reminding why we do this work we look at Karen’s website and take heart that Karen names those women for us all to continue our work in their honour.

Professor Amanda Robinson

For her work around the identification and management of priority perps, which has been really influential in our own services, research and practice.

Rachel Williams

For being a total warrior and overcoming her horrific experiences of DA to fight consistently for victim’s voices to be heard.

Jean Hatchet

For her tireless campaigning and fundraising for women who have been murdered, she adds her voice to the VAW sector in an empowering and inspiring way and uses her social media platform for the benefit of survivors. We love her for her sheer tenacity, focus, wit and even when she is angry her grammar is impeccable!

Diana Barren

For changing the lives of high risk victims of domestic abuse and the landscape in which we work. She was the driving force for the implementation of IDVA’s across the UK and her work has undoubtedly saved lives.

Polly Neate

For her astounding work achieved in just four years as CEO at Women’s Aid. She took the organisation through instrumental change and made us all remember why Women’s Aid was initiated in the second wave feminist movement of the 1970s. In particular her work on the Child First campaign is both heart wrenching and life changing for murdered children and their surviving parents.

Harriet Wistrich

For being the best kind of woman! She has been a lawyer for years. Harriet has changed the lives of the women she represents in court and in equal measure in every case she impacts hugely on the VAW sector. We watch her cases in anticipation as I know what she does centres women who have experienced abuse. She seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to influencing change in the legal system for women.

Rachel Horman

For being another amazing lawyer. We like Rachel’s blog posts in particular as she makes legal speak understandable. We often advise survivors to look at her posts and they say it always helps them to understand their experiences.

Sylvia Walby

A total guru! Her research into the costs of DVA has undoubtedly made it easier to show the people in power why they should be spending money on supporting victims and survivors. The stark costs of ignoring the issue make our jobs easier when we are trying to get funding for vital services.

Jasvinder Sanghera

We love her books. We have been lucky enough to listen to her speak and her work has really inspired us to understand the differences needed and the best organisations to contact when supporting victims of so called honour based violence.

Laura Richards

For her work on the DASH risk assessment tool which has undeniably changed the sector for the better, we now all talk to each other about risk of our clients and the DASH tool enables us to have a shared common language for murder prevention for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. The DASH save lives and we have Laura to thank for that.

Marai Larasi

For being a beacon of hope. Her work with IMKAAN has been ground breaking and her laser sharp focus on BAME women and the compounding factors of intersectionality are so inspiring. We loved seeing her at the golden globes, she totally deserved to be there and her smile makes us smile.

Dr Finn Mckay

For reviving the Reclaim the Night Marches in London which had a ripple effect across the UK cannot be underestimated. She was the inspiration for our RTN marches in Portsmouth and she made us want to march in solidarity with her and all the women across the country.

Roxanne Gay

For her work on trauma, women and feminism and whose writing style and championing of women we find truly inspirational.

Julie Bindel

For her long term contribution and involvement in the feminist movement of which she has been an active part since 1979. Her global campaigning for women experiencing male abuse in all its forms is inspirational and we love her.

Professor Liz Kelly

For dedicating her life’s work to researching the impacts of violence against women and as an activist for over 40 years we think everyone should take time to read her work and learn something.

Pragna Patel

For her work with Southall Black sisters (SBS) which has been monumental in our practice. She and the work of SBS consistently remind us why we need to keep fighting for all black and Asian women living in the UK and focus on the challenges they face when experiencing violence and abuse.

Sarah Green

For being incredibly supportive to us as an organisation. She reached out to us when things got tough and is always on the end of an email. Her publications for EVAW are always brilliant and her voice as an advocate for our sector is truly inspiring.

Lastly but by no means least we want to honour all the victims and survivors we have ever been lucky enough to work with, speak to and support. Working with them and experiencing their voices and stories daily is inspiration enough for us to continue to fight for a world where we end violence against women and girls. They win on the amazing sisters list every time!

Why do we celebrate our sisters on March 8th?

Every year on the 8th of March, International Women’s day (IWD) is observed. This is a day dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of women. Therefore, although we recognise how amazing they are all year round, we wanted to acknowledge the work of our amazing Aurora sisters.

If you would like to know more about women’s day, check out the video below.

What is International Women’s Day?

 

All our love and solidarity

#TeamAurora

#ForTheVictimsAndSurivors

#IWD2018

 

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A Foreword on Serial and Priority Perpetrators

In 2016, our Operations Manager, Zoë, completed her MSc in Criminology and Criminal Psychology. Her dissertation focused on the identification and management of serial perpetrators of domestic abuse in England and Wales. She won the Sage award for Best Masters Dissertation.

In the post below, Zoe shares some extracts from that dissertation, and her thoughts on the ways in which our approach to these offenders needs to improve.

What is a Serial perpetrator?

For clarity: The term ‘Serial perpetrators’ is usually used to refer to individuals who have used or threatened violence or abuse against two or more victims who are unconnected to each other (ACPO, 2009). Many commentators have argued that focusing solely on targeting these perpetrators (i.e. those who have more than one victim) might mean we ‘miss’ other areas of potential risk.

What is a Priority Perpetrator?

The term ‘Priority Perpetrators’ addresses this potential risk by encompassing serial perpetrators alongside those who repeatedly offend against the same partner, and also those engaged in high-risk abusive behaviours, regardless of the number of victims involved.

Tragedy? Or a Systematic Failure? Serial and priority perpetrators

In early 2018, there was extensive media coverage and widespread outrage surrounding the trial of Theodore Johnson, a man who pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-partner. What made this case so utterly shocking is that this was the third partner or ex-partner he has killed: the first was in 1981.

Shortly afterwards, The Guardian asked: “Is this a uniquely tragic triple crime, or a systematic failure to take domestic violence seriously?”

It is tragic, absolutely. But unfortunately, it is by no means ‘unique’.

Numerous examples

On 2^nd January 2012, the body of Claire O’Connor was discovered in the boot of her own car. Claire had died from blunt force trauma to her neck (McAteer, 2015, p. 10). In 2013, Aaron Mann – Claire’s ex-partner – was jailed for her murder (Dimmer, 2015). Mann had two known partners before Claire, with both relationships characterised by domestic abuse (McAteer, 2015, p. 12). He had numerous domestic abuse-related convictions and arrests against his name (McAteer, 2015, p. 14), along with several other incidents involving previous partners of which agencies were aware, but no official reports were made (McAteer, 2015, p.14). After identifying a number of failings in both risk assessment and risk management prior to Claire’s murder, the Domestic Homicide Review into Claire’s death posed the question:

“How are known perpetrators identified and how are the risks that they pose to others assessed? For example, an initial incident may not be serious, but if it is perpetrated by someone known to present high risks to partners, how can this be factored in and influence the overall risk assessment and risk management plan?”

(McAteer, 2015, p.76)

Two years later, on the 18^th February 2014, Hollie Gazzard was murdered by her ex-partner, Asher Maslin, at the age of just 20.  Hollie was stabbed 14 times in the neck, chest and torso, inside the hair salon in which she worked, in front of her colleagues, dying two hours later in hospital. Maslin, himself only 22 at the time of the murder, had a significant criminal history including violence in a non-domestic setting (Warren, 2015, p.19). His domestic abuse history was equally extensive, including a total of 24 violent incidents against 4 different individuals, 3 of whom were ex-partners (one being Hollie) and one of whom was his mother (Warren, 2015, p. 29). In the review into Hollie’s death, Warren (2015), observed:

“Paul [the review panel’s pseudonym for Maslin] had a long history of violence towards women…the review panel therefore concludes that if all the evidence had been known to any one agency, it would have been predictable that Paul would at some stage critically injure or kill someone”

(Warren, 2015, p. 43)

A History of Serial Abuse

Multiple other Domestic Homicide reviews (hereafter DHRs) continue to tell similar stories, highlighting a failure to both recognise, and manage, the risks posed by individuals with significant histories of serial and high-risk domestic abuse offending (See: South and Vale Community Safety Partnership [SVCSP] & Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board [OSCB], 2016; Ashman, 2014a, 2014b; Davis, 2016; Lundberg, 2014).

Theodore Johnson’s case is shocking, but it is not unsurprising to those working in the Violence and Abuse sector: this has long been an area of public protection work that requires urgent attention. Studies have demonstrated that up to 18% of domestic abuse perpetrators who re-offend do so against a different partner (Hester & Westmarland, 2006), and ACPO (2009) have estimated that there may be as many as 25,000 serial perpetrators of domestic abuse in contact with police at any one time in the UK. Research clearly demonstrates that without effective intervention, perpetrators of domestic abuse are likely to continue their behaviour (Hester & Westmarland, 2006, p.35; Sonkin, 1987 cited in Richards, Letchford & Stratton, 2008, p. 129) and, further, that abuse tends to escalate in both frequency and severity as it is repeated (Richards, Letchford & Stratton, 2008, p. 128).

Calls for Change

As such, calls for a more proactive response to these serial/priority perpetrators are not new. As early as 2004, Richards warned that prolific and serial domestic abuse offenders were, literally, ‘Getting Away With It’. In 2009, referencing Richards’ work, The Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO] published their report ‘Tackling Perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Girls’. This report presented a number of recommendations to ensure the “wider recognition, and improved management, of serial perpetrators of violence against women and girls”, including that a register and tracking system be introduced in order to improve both the identification and management of these individuals (ACPO, 2009, pp. 29-34).

5 years later, however, and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC] still noted that “most forces do not have a systematic approach to targeting repeat or prolific perpetrators of domestic abuse” (HMIC, 2014a, p. 106). Even when reviewing this position in the light of the 43 resulting force action plans, they concluded: “…these plans showed there is a lack of consistency around the management of serial perpetrators” (HMIC, 2015a, p. 96), and further, “very few forces include domestic abuse perpetrators in their Integrated Offender Management (IOM) process” (HMIC, 2015a, p. 96).

My Dissertation’s Findings

My own dissertation research, undertaken in 2016, reached similar conclusions. Through the use of requests to each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I found that provision for both the identification and management of serial perpetrators of domestic remains inconsistent across England and Wales.

In England, for example, less than half of the police forces reported a clear process for both the identification and management of serial perpetrators. Just over a third (33%/n=13) detailed systems which, although not a total lack of provision, appeared to fall short of a process which would enable them to clearly and consistently identify serial perpetrators and to manage them as routine, whether alone or within a wider cohort of priority/high-risk domestic abuse offenders. 6 force areas in England reported having no identification or management processes in place, representing 15.4% of English forces without the ability to identify, monitor or manage serial perpetrators. Further, those forces with clear processes in place appear to be approaching the issue differently across different areas, with various combinations of approaches/projects and no one model appearing to directly mirror another.

In addition, only a small number of forces (Essex, Hampshire, North Yorkshire, and Northumbria) made specific reference to taking a multi-agency approach to this area of work or to making use of intelligence from partner agencies in their assessments of risk. This was particularly surprising given that multi-agency working is recognised as best practice nationally in terms of the response to domestic abuse (Home Office, 2014; Tapley, 2010). This failure to work collaboratively is at odds with the learning from multiple DHRs, which emphasise the importance of multi-agency working and information-sharing in this area (see, for example: Ashman, 2014b, p. 47; Home Office, 2013a; McAteer, 2015, p.73; SVCSP & OSCB, 2016, p. 45, 61). It also – crucially – fails to acknowledge that not all domestic abuse incidents are reported to the police.

Current Response to Serial Perpetrators

We are, however, beginning to see emerging pockets of good practice. The approach in Hampshire, for example, includes both direct work with offenders and a single point of contact (SPOC) service to assess, monitor and track serial perpetrators (Hampton Trust, 2016). Importantly, this response has been built around both multi-agency working, and cross-agency information-sharing, between the Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership (DAPP), the police Offender Management HUB, and other key local agencies, including frontline domestic abuse services (Hampshire Constabulary, 2016b). Aurora New Dawn is proud to be a part of DAPP, and to work alongside both The Hampton Trust and Baseline Consultancy in pushing forward the response to serial/priority perpetrators in the County.

Another example of co-ordinated work in this area is the DRIVE project, currently being run by Safelives across two pilot sites, and designed to “challenge the behaviour of perpetrators, and co-ordinate the response they receive across all agencies.” (Safelives, 2016). DRIVE targets serial and repeat perpetrators, providing a one-to-one intervention with the aim of promoting long-term behavioural change (Safelives, 2016). Whilst the two approaches are different in design, the DRIVE project, like the Hampshire response, is quite clearly committed to “a multi-agency response to domestic abuse with partner agencies” and “sharing information, both within and between agencies about people at risk of experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence and abuse.” (Safelives & Social Finance, 2015, pp. 5-6)

How to tackle Serial Perpetrators

Despite these pockets of localised good practice, the fact remains that there is currently no formalised legal framework or national process by which serial perpetrators are routinely identified, monitored and managed in England and Wales. It is this that needs to change, and urgently. A co-ordinated approach is required – mandated at a national level, and robustly led locally – which focuses on placing responsibility on serial/priority perpetrators for their behaviour and, crucially,  on disrupting their offending. In order to do this, we need clear national guidelines, borne from the sharing of best practice and examples of models that demonstrate ‘what works’ in terms of effective identification and management.

I would go further, however, and argue that one of the key ways in which we can make strides in this area is through the creation of a register for serial perpetrators, operating along similar lines to the sex offenders register. Both ACPO (2009) and Paladin (2014) have proposed this response, and calls for implementation continue to grow, with a petition to this effect amassing 135,000 signatures to date. Whilst a register is not a solution in itself, it absolutely offers the potential to drive forward a cultural shift, a sense of national consistency, and a more proactive policing response to those who pose the highest risk of harm (Paladin, 2014, no pagination).

Ultimately, when we are looking to keep victims safe, this is not an ‘either/or’ situation. The proactive targeting of priority perpetrators must be included in work to tackle domestic abuse, and it is crucial that this forms part of a collaborative response alongside specialist, well-resourced victim services.

In short, our response to this cohort of dangerous offenders must be substantially improved if we are to have the chance of reducing both the costs – and the impact – of domestic abuse over the coming years:

“Tracking, responding to and dealing with serial perpetrators is less well developed as a method of protecting victims. This is just starting to change but the circumstances of this review underline the need for it. The learning from this review stems almost entirely from the knowledge of events and interventions in the perpetrator’s 2 previous relationships. This is fitting as it contributes to a growing body of knowledge that suggests tracking and management of serial perpetrators has a significant role in protecting future potential victims.” – Domestic Homicide Review into the death of ‘Ms Z’ (Ashman, 2014a, p. 5)

Aurora’s Position on Serial Perpetrators

We at Aurora believe it is imperative to tackle the continued serial abuse of perpetrators in order to better protect victims and survivors. By continuously putting the onus on the victim, perpetrators continue to abuse multiple victims, their abuse escalates and the endpoint for many of their victims is death. This is about murder prevention.

You can sign the petition for a register of serial stalkers and domestic abuse perpetrators here.

REFERENCES

Ashman, J. (2014a). Domestic homicide review 001 (Executive Summary). Retrieved from the Lambeth Council website: www.lambeth.gov.uk

Ashman, J. (2014b). Domestic Homicide Review 001 (Overview Report). Retrieved from the Lambeth Council website: www.lambeth.gov.uk

Association of Chief Police Officers [ACPO]. (2009). Tackling perpetrators of violence against women & girls: ACPO review for the Home Secretary. Retrieved from the ACPO website: www.acpo.police.uk

Davis, M. (2016). Child D: A serious case review overview report. Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Board. Retrieved from: http://www.suttonlscb.org.uk/seriouscasereviews.php

Dimmer, S. (2015, May 14). Nuneaton mum killed by violent ex-partner felt police were ‘powerless’ to stop him. Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/nuneaton-mum-killed-violent-ex-partner-9255367

Hampton Trust. (2016). DAPP: Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership. Retrieved from https://www.hamptontrust.org.uk/our-programmes/dapp/.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC]. (2014a). Everyone’s business: improving the police response to domestic abuse. Retrieved from www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC]. (2015a). Increasingly everyone’s business: improving the police response to domestic abuse. Retrieved from www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk

Hester, M. & Westmarland, N. (2006). Domestic violence perpetrators. Criminal Justice Matters, 66(1), 34-35. DOI: 10.1080/09627250608553400.

Hester, M., Westmarland, N., Gangoli, G., Wilkinson, M., O’Kelly, C., Kent. A., & Diamond, D. (2006). Domestic violence perpetrators: identifying needs to inform early intervention. Bristol: University of Bristol in association with the Northern Rock Foundation and the Home Office. Retrieved from www.nr-foundation.org.uk

Lundberg, B. (2014). Domestic Homicide Review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004. In respect of the death of a woman B-DHR2012/13-04. Birmingham Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership website: http://birminghamcsp.org.uk/admin/resources/bdhr-2012-13-04-final-published.pdf

McAteer, K. (2015). Domestic Homicide Review overview report (DHR NB01). Report into the death of a domestic homicide victim on 2^nd January 2012. Nuneaton & Bedworth Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from: https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-671-68

Richards, L. (2004). Getting away with it: a strategic overview of domestic violence sexual assault and ‘serious’ incident analysis. London: Metropolitan Police. Retrieved from http://www.dashriskchecklist.co.uk

Richards, L., Letchford, S., & Stratton, S. (2008). Policing Domestic Violence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Safelives. (2016, February 17). New Project to hold perpetrators of domestic abuse to account. Retrieved from http://www.caada.org.uk/drive

South and Vale Community Safety Partnership & Oxfordshire Safeguarding Childrens Board. (2016). Child J – Domestic Homicide Review and Serious Case Review (combined). Report into the death of child J aged 17. Retrieved from www.oscb.org.uk

Tapley, J. (2010) Working together to tackle domestic violence. In A. Pycroft & D. Gough (Eds.) Multi Agency Working In Criminal Justice (pp. 137-153). Bristol: The Policy Press.

Warren, D. (2015). Domestic Violence Homicide Review Overview Report into the death of Rosie (Pseudonym) on 18^th February 2014. Tewkesbury Borough Community Safety Partnership. Retrieved from www.tewkesbury.gov.uk

Bidirectional violence, a foreword

Before we examine bidirectional violence, it is important to ask: How does a relationship evolve to be abusive? Does it take deliberate acts by one person against another to gain power and control bit by bit?

In my view an abusive relationship is every single section of the Duluth Power and Control Wheel:

Intimate Partner Terrorist

Acts of coercion, intimidation, emotional abuse, behaviours aimed at degrading, destroying and humiliating the other person to gain control. How is this control exerted? By the presence, use or threat of physical and sexual violence. Practitioners and survivors may be familiar with the term ‘intimate partner terrorist’ because that is what they are. Holding every person in that home to ransom in exchange for their emotional worth, their self-esteem and any desire to leave.

Three types of Perpetrator

Johnson (2006) after extensive research devised three terms to explain the subtypes of perpetrator that might be seen in intimate partner violence. These three terms include the intimate partner terrorist detailed above, violence resistance and situational couple violence. The term violence resistance denotes victims who in the face of further abuse, use learnt behaviours to protect themselves and behave violently for self-preservation. Differentially, situational couple violence is a term coined to describe toxic relationships in which there is violence but this is not about gaining power and control over the other person. Misunderstanding these terms can drastically increase risks to victims. Johnson himself stresses that the most dangerous of all abuse is intimate partner terrorism, which Aurora asserts is the real essence of what we are naming when we talk about domestic abuse.

The term ‘bidirectional violence’

In recent months, I have seen a new terminology being used. The term bidirectional violence has become common parlance in some multi-agency meetings. The term has been generated to capture relationships in which both parties use violence and/or abusive behaviours to one another. The term suggests that a single primary aggressor cannot be identified. My question then is how would a survivor feel? Particularly those who begin to resist and fight back, knowing that their acts of self-defense, their attempts at protecting themselves, their use of learned aggression against the perpetrator are seen as a balanced form of intimate partner violence?

How a relationship can evolve into bidirectional violence

Imagine knowing the mood of the perpetrator and being able to predict whether it is physical violence, verbal abuse, control tactics or the threat of a sexual assault that is brewing. However, one day out of fear you assault the perpetrator to protect yourself and the children. But this time they contact the police and you find yourself being arrested. The perpetrator actively claims victim status, giving details of all the times there have been other violent incidents. The normal safeguarding won’t apply to you now, because you have been a victim and are now a perpetrator. The perpetrator might get a visit from the safeguarding agencies, who will offer them support. Imagine then, that at the next multi-agency meeting, your experiences of control, psychological abuse, serious physical and sexual violence are reduced to ‘bi-directional’ violence.

What are we really saying? That she is as bad as him? Six of one, half a dozen of another. Frontline practitioners within Aurora would always be of the opinion that attitudes like this are archaic and patriarchal. We absolutely do not condone violence in any form. However, it is important in our work to explore the situation with a survivor who is beginning to fight back. We understand why this might happen, but we plan with them to ensure this doesn’t occur for the future safeguarding of everyone linked to the abuse, including the perpetrator. Some of our advocates have worked with women who have killed their partners in self-defense and the ramifications of this are lifelong.

Most importantly, if we don’t explore, we ignore the voice of the victim. Many survivors of abuse are likely to try and predict the violence, placating the perpetrator and doing what is necessary to avoid more serious injury. What the victim hears is that we do not understand her experiences. We ignore the gendered nature of domestic violence, we don’t delve deeper into the power and control in that relationship and we do not identify who the primary aggressor is. We completely overlook the victim’s experience and buy into the perpetrators narrative about ‘her being as bad as him.’

An example of bidirectional violence mislabelling

To evidence this point home further, January 8th 2018 saw the release of the Domestic Homicide Review into the murder of Katrina O’Hara on 7th January 2016 by her former partner (Mellor, 2018). The first police response into domestic abuse within this relationship was made on 10th November 2015 when both parties alleged they had been assaulted. The victim admitted to throwing some of the perpetrator’s stuff around. Within 58 days of making this report, the victim had been murdered. The DHR review made multiple recommendations but of note was point 6.9 which concluded that the first police attendance was mislabelled. Reviewing Police Officers determined that that the victim was ‘very much the perpetrator’ which changed the course of police responses. Ultimately, the victim’s confidence in the agencies tasked to protect her was undermined and she paid for this with her life.

How should we see bidirectional violence?

Domestic abuse is gendered. It affects disproportionately more women than men; two women die a week at the hands of abusive partners (Brennan, 2016). I urge frontline practitioners to consider this the next time you hear the term bidirectional violence. Use it as an opportunity to educate others and consider investigating further into what is really happening in that home. It’s important to understand that victims don’t generally shout about their victimhood, they minimise the behaviour, they make excuses for the perpetrator. They rarely if ever, shout about the abuse.

One way in which you can assess the legitimacy of counterclaims is to refer to the DYN project assessment ‘identifying legitimate victims’ (Robinson & Rowlands, 2006 pp34-35).

Perpetrators are incredibly good at getting professionals to collude with their behaviour. They can and will be very plausible. Let’s not allow them to use us in their power and control games against victims.

#HerNameWasKatrina

Hayley – Serial and Priority Perpetrator Co-ordinator – Aurora New Dawn – (Domestic Abuse Prevention Partnership (DAPP)).

*Hayley is a qualified probation officer and worked for the National Probation Service for twelve years before joining the Aurora team two years ago.*

References:

Brennan, D. (2016). The Femicide Census: Annual report on cases of Femicide in 2016. Women’s Aid Federation.

https://1q7dqy2unor827bqjls0c4rn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/The-Femicide-Census-Report-published-2017.pdf

Katrina O’ Hara DHR

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/domestic-abuse-police-katrina-ohara-failings-dorset-phone-taken-attacker-stuart-thomas-stalking-a8148726.html

Mellor, D. (2018) Domestic Homicide Review. “Sarah.”

Overview Report. Dorset: Dorset Community Safety Partnership

Johnson, M. P. (2006). Conflict and control: Gender symmetry and asymmetry in domestic violence. Violence against women, 12(11), 1003-1018.

Robinson, A., & Rowlands, J. (2006). The Dyn Project: Supporting Men Experiencing Domestic Abuse (pp. 34-35). Cardiff.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.538.716&rep=rep1&type=pdf