Last week Steve Reddy, @lpoolcouncil’s Director of Children’s Services tweeted a ‘joke’ about a woman being killed

He chairs the Domestic Abuse Strategy Group

Jokes about gendered violence don’t exist in a vacuum, they’re part of the culture that enables violence against us

Merseyside has the largest spike of domestic homicides, even before the pandemic put women & girls at further risk

For the Chair of the DA strategic group to make jokes about a woman being killed; when 1 woman is killed every 3 days is indicative of wider problems

Liverpool City Council no longer has a Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy

Meaning specialised VAWG practitioners are being sidelined & their expertise isn’t valued

Liverpool City Council’s focus around gendered violence is on Domestic Abuse & the impact on children, rather than on all forms of gendered violence & all victims

This is leading to some adult victims not being supported within Liverpool City Council’s framework

Violence Against Women & Girls is complex & needs specialised support to ensure safeguards are in place for all & we don’t victim blame women for their own abuse

The Council is seeing gendered violence through the limited lens of Domestic Abuse & looking after vulnerable children

Whilst supporting children is vital, this approach is leaving many survivors without adequate support

This is a huge political failing of the current Cabinet

How are women & girls without children supported?

How are survivors of rape & sexual abuse supported?

Where is the trauma informed support for women?

What priority do they take under the current model?

It’s clear that the Chair of the Domestic Abuse strategic group must be removed following his misogynistic ‘joke’ on Twitter

It’s also clear @lpoolcouncil must urgently review how Violence Against Women & Girls services are supported in our City