What is Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)?
Use these pages to find out more about Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse, what support is available and how to report.
The London Borough of Harrow has adopted the definition of VAWG from the United Nations Declaration on Elimination of Violence against Women, which defines VAWG as:
“Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” (1993, Article 1)
The root cause of VAWG is gender inequality. We use the term VAWG to recognise that most victims and survivors are women and girls, and it is usually perpetrated by men (so it is named as male violence). However, it is important to acknowledge people of any gender can experience these types of abuse, including men and boys.
It is essential that we engage with men and boys when working to tackle VAWG and stop it from happening in the first place.
Whether at home or outside, Harrow should be a place where women and girls feel safe to live, work and visit.
Safer Spaces Survey and Interactive Map
As part of our ongoing campaign to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) we have a survey (open to all genders) to find out where people may feel vulnerable or have experienced threatening behaviour.
If you live, work, study or socialise in Harrow, you can have a say in what areas make you feel safe or unsafe. Your feedback will help us to identify areas of concern and find improvements to help everyone feel safer.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews
A Domestic Abuse Related Death Review (DARDR) was formerly known as a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR). It is carried out where a person has died as a result of abuse, violence or neglect by a relative, intimate partner or member of the same household.
They are a statutory requirement under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Adults Act (2004). The Safer Harrow Partnership has the responsibility for establishing Domestic Homicide Reviews within Harrow.
The aim in publishing these reviews is to improve transparency of the processes in place, across all agencies, to protect victims.
- Determine the key lessons to be learned from domestic homicide cases regarding the effectiveness of individual and collaborative practices among local professionals and organisations in safeguarding victims.
- Clearly identify these lessons within and across agencies, specify how they will be addressed and within what timeframes, and outline expected outcomes.
- Integrate these insights into service delivery by making appropriate adjustments to policies and procedures.
- Strengthen agency collaboration to prevent domestic violence homicide and better support victims and their children.