Violence Against Women and Girls symposium hailed a success

Friday 14 June 2024

Eight speakers from the UK and Jersey gave a series of "inspirational" talks during the inaugural Violence Against Women and Girls symposium.

The event was sponsored by Safer and Guernsey Police and organised by Poppy Murray, a campaigner for women's safety.

“Yesterday a clear roadmap was laid out for us on how to improve things in Guernsey when it comes to tackling issues surrounding VAWG. I hope that our elected deputies will support this and bring Guernsey closer in line with the progress being made in the UK and Jersey. There is no excuse," she said.

“Over the past year I have been fortunate to attend events where these accomplished speakers presented and, each time, I’ve thought to myself that I wish people in Guernsey could hear what I’m hearing, so I approached Guernsey Police’s Deputy Chief Officer Ian Scholes with the idea for the Symposium and was grateful that he gave the green light,” she said.

“This is the first event of its kind in Guernsey, and I was hopeful, but uncertain, about how it would be received. The majority of feedback was hugely positive. I am determined to ensure that momentum continues and that the public see positive outcomes as a direct result of the Symposium.”

More than 100 people attended the event, including: the Bailiff, Mrs Louise Cripwell, politicians, Law Officers, police officers and staff and from the island’s charitable sector.

100% of those who gave feedback said they were "committed to taking action based on what they had learned".

The event touched on topics such as male allyship and understanding the scale of the issue.

Detective Constable, Kieren Walsh, said: “The VAWG Symposium was incredibly eye opening, and I took a lot away from the day. I have already heard several of my colleagues discussing the presentations with other officers; we were hugely impressed by the calibre and experience of all the speakers. I found Poppy's presentation wholly inspiring and extremely relevant to Guernsey's current challenges.

"I have expressed my support for anything she may need in her efforts to tackle VAWG in Guernsey going forward.” 

Naomi Wood from Safer hopes that "this will be the beginning of a journey of improved understanding and ultimately action".