Men’s organisation joins forces with Shropshire partners to address domestic abuse against women

An organisation aimed at men will be joining forces with partners from Shropshire’s Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) on Monday 12 November 2012 to address domestic abuse against women.

‘A Call to Men UK’ addresses domestic and sexual violence prevention and the promotion of healthy manhood.  The organisation, which was founded and supported by survivors of domestic abuse who wanted men to be involved, will be attending MARAC at Shrewsbury Town FC’s Greenhous Meadow on Monday.

The ‘A Call to Men’ MARAC event will bring together partners from across Shropshire and West Mercia to look at continuing to improve and develop their co-ordinated response to tackle domestic violence.

Internationally-renowned educator, activist and lecturer, Tony Porter, co-founder & co- director of A Call To Men in the United States, will be the keynote speaker at the event.

As a gifted and engaging speaker, Tony is recognised for his efforts to end violence against women and girls, and said:

“We at A Call to Men are both pleased and honoured to be working in partnership with A Call To Men UK.  The USA and the UK have worked in unity and leadership on many global issues, and it only makes sense that we partner on such an important issue as domestic and sexual violence prevention.”

In the UK today:

• Two women a week are killed  as a result of domestic violence
• At least 120,000 victims are at high risk of being killed or seriously harmed
• Every year, one million women experience at least one incident of domestic violence -nearly 20,000 women a week 
• The financial cost of domestic abuse to the country is around £20 billion per year.

Clearly, the cost to people’s lives – the victims, their children, the wider family and communities – is far greater.

MARAC is a voluntary meeting between representatives from local police, health, probation, housing, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) and other specialists, both from the public sector and voluntary organisations.

MARAC provides a co-ordinated response for those families at the highest risk of harm; and by agencies sharing information, a co-ordinated safety plan is put together more quickly and effectively.  There are over 260 MARACs operating across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  In the West Mercia policing area there are five, and they have all been through the Quality Assurance programme.

The event will also celebrate Shropshire’s MARAC receiving their Quality Assurance report in October 2012.  All West Mercia MARACs and partners across Shropshire will be sharing their achievements in good practice in supporting victims and their families experiencing domestic violence.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for public protection, said:

“Shropshire Council and our partners work extremely hard to address domestic abuse and provide a wide range of support to victims and their families. The Call to Men MARAC event provides us with a great opportunity to discuss the safety, health and well-being of people experiencing domestic abuse, and to provide a safety plan for them and their children. 

“I am delighted to welcome Tony Porter, who is internationally recognised for his efforts to end men’s violence against women, as the key speaker.  I am really looking forward to what will be a really thought-provoking session for all concerned.”

For further information about A Call to Men UK visit www.acalltomenuk.org.uk.   

A number of different organisations attend MARAC regularly:

• The Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) (Women’s Aid)
• West Mercia Police Domestic Abuse Unit (DAU) and local policing
• Probation Service
• DV Services support organisations : South Shropshire Domestic Violence Services, West Mercia Women’s Aid and Refuge
• Housing Options – housing support team (Shropshire Council)
• Housing associations
• Victim Support
• Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust
• Shropshire Community Health
• Children’s Services ( Shropshire Council)
• Community Mental Health Team
• Community Substance Misuse Team