On Thursday 25th November, Yellow Door along with other local organisations, were in Southampton Guildhall Square to mark White Ribbon Day.
On the day, members of our team represented Yellow Door and highlighted the great services we provide. We invited people to create a ‘Consent Rocks’ rock, where we asked them to consider the importance of consent and write a message on rocks. It was a chance for people to share a message about consent being key in all relationships. If you have created a ‘Consent Rocks’ message or want to create one, we are encouraging people to share these on social media using #YellowDoorSupport so we can follow along!
Solent Showcase worked with Wom Collective, a group of Female Street Artists, to create artwork. The art work aims to inspire and empower women. A thought provoking installation of empty shoes was also created. Each pair of shoes represented a woman who has been killed due to domestic violence from April 2020 to March 2021. There were 163 pairs of shoes. This proved to be a powerful instillation that clearly shows the high amount of domestic violence. It is also important to consider that underreporting of domestic and sexual abuse remains a huge issue.
Over the past year, Yellow Door has supported over 1,381 females who have been impacted by domestic and/or sexual abuse. 12,148 violence and sexual offences incidents were recorded by police in Southampton in 2020, which unfortunately puts it in the top 10 most dangerous cities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We understand that all genders are affected by male violence. But the White Ribbon Day campaign shines a light on violence against women and girls. This isn’t just a ‘fact of life’ and something we should remain silent about.
If you are considering reporting a sexual abuse crime, but are unsure and need some support, please speak to our ISVA team.
You can watch Southampton City Council’s video of the event here
If you would like to help us support local people affected by domestic and sexual abuse, please see our Donation page
#WhiteRibbon #AllMenCan #MakeThePromise #YellowDoorSupport
