Women’s Voice event marks a significant day for Women

Women’s Voice welcomed speakers from the ProtectED accreditation scheme and wellbeing staff from the University of Salford who shared the support process for both staff and students who have experienced domestic abuse and harassment.

The event marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which takes place on November 25th. The day is marked worldwide, and can be followed online using the hashtag #orangetheworld.

During the #16days of activism, we @SayNO_UNiTE to end violence against women. RT & join us to #orangetheworld! https://t.co/VM7TGergde pic.twitter.com/TOTc3Ol25A

— UN Women (@UN_Women) November 21, 2017

The event at the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus hosted guests and speakers along with staff and students of the University. Women’s Voice, a group based at the University of Salford, was established March 8th 2016 in preparation for International Women’s Day. The group has produced many events over the past year, welcoming guests and speakers who come together in providing a platform for Women to voice ideas for change in University culture.

Thank you @ProtectED_HEI for presenting your research and to everyone who joined us today. It was a really insightful session and helped raise awareness of support available for staff and students. Thought-provoking. https://t.co/ybBzBqGsTc

— UOS Women's Voice (@uoswomensvoice) November 22, 2017

Dr Lucy Winrow, editor of the ProtectED review and colleague Dr Luba Pirgova-Morgan were in attendance of the event, they spoke of the work produced through the ProtectED accreditation scheme and how the programme supports institutions in dealing with domestic abuse. The programme is the first national accreditation scheme of its kind, with a protected code of practice for Universities it recognises.

Make a commitment to improving student safety, mental health & wellbeing, and to tackling sexual harassment on & off campus by becoming a @ProtectED_HEI university. Download the Code of Practice today: https://t.co/UgdsdWQFrx #studentwellbeing #studentsafety pic.twitter.com/JDhoaCY91Q

— ProtectED (@ProtectED_HEI) November 9, 2017

16-24 year olds are most vulnerable to acts of crime and violence, and one in three students are sexually assaulted on campus. The ProtectED programme works closely with its advisory board in implementing the safeguarding practices, the board is made up of 12 organisations including the British Council and Greater Manchester Police.

It is reported that 90 percent of sexual assault victims did not inform police of the crime, and 86 percent did not tell their University. In order to compete with the worrying statistics, mobile applications such as ‘SafeZone’ are used throughout institutions to report crimes, send emergency alerts and make calls for help.

Staff from the University of Salford also spoke to the group about the services the University provides for both staff and student’s. Emma Sprawson, Employee relations team leader at the University of Salford HR advice team, discussed how the University supports staff who have have dealt with issues surrounding domestic abuse and sexual harassment.

The HR Advice team at the University of Salford offer an open advice, non-judgemental service for members of staff. Services include an employee support helpline which provides trainee councillors at hand to answer calls, along with direct referral to St.Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Greater Manchester.

The University of Salford’s askUS student service also provides a wellbeing and counselling service for students on campus. The askUS team are situated in both University House on the Peel Park campus, and MediaCityUK.

Students on campus can contact the askUS wellbeing team for help and advice in situations of domestic abuse. The askUS website features an online referral form, whilst offering face-to-face and phone call appointments to ensure students have multiple ways of accessing the service confidentially.

If you are a student at the University of Salford, you can contact the askUS wellbeing service at wellbeing@salford.ac.uk or telephone 0161 295 0023

If you are a member of staff at the University of Salford, you can find out more about the services available to you here.

Follow @uoswomensvoice on twitter to find out more about upcoming events.