Violence against women and girls makes up just under 20% of all recorded crime in England and Wales, and has been on the rise, with perpetrators overwhelmingly men. The National Police Chiefs’ Council calls the harm to victims and society ‘immeasurable,’ but real hope is on the horizon.
With projects like Comic Relief’s Tackling Harmful Norms leading the charge, Fight for Peace is ready to take on the challenge alongside six other partners in the UK and four in Africa. One of the most valuable parts of the project so far has been sharing knowledge and learning from these in other sectors. As we discovered when we welcomed project partner, Respect, to our Academy in North Woolwich, our impact together is far greater than alone.
The goal of the Tackling Harmful Norms initiative is to use sport and mentorship to promote positive masculinity, healthier relationships, and gender equality among young people, in an effort to tackle the root causes of Violence Against Women and Girls.
At Fight for Peace, we are developing a new curriculum which will be woven into our boxing, martial arts, and mentoring sessions. To truly tackle harmful norms, our Youth Mentors and Coaches must be ready to navigate complex, and at times uncomfortable, conversations.
That’s where Respect comes in. As a leading voice in ending domestic abuse and addressing unhealthy relationship dynamics, Respect’s expertise perfectly complements our 20-year history as a youth sport-for-development organisation. We are natural allies.
In early October, we welcomed Respect Implementation Lead Alice to the Academy. As our Head of Academy Jamie Lowe shared, trainings like this present a unique opportunity to better support young people:
“To have organisations with particular expertise working together is a real chance for us to strengthen our approach, which can only benefit young people more. For us at Fight for Peace, we work with some quite vulnerable young people, and what this training has done is empower our staff to have those complex conversations.“
With an Academy that’s been rooted in Newham for almost 20 years now, we’ve built incredible ties with the community as well as the generations of young people that have walked through our doors. Yet the challenges young people face today, whether in the job market, on social media, or in shifting societal attitudes, are uniquely their own. As our mentoring has evolved to meet young people where they are, our training and tools have to evolve right alongside them.
A pivotal part of the training with Respect was learning how to build non-judgmental spaces for conversation, rather than meeting potentially harmful attitudes with confrontation. As Jamie reflected:
“One part of the training that really stuck with me was thinking about different perspectives, how violence is enacted, and learning how we work to support everyone involved. While we may share differing opinions on a personal level, we are united as an organisation to ensure any young woman has a safe space to be themselves, one that is free from violence, inequality and harm.”
We’ve taken this stance beyond our walls by standing with the End Violence Against Women Coalition and connecting with fellow Tackling Harmful Norms partner Beyond Equality. The principles laid out in this coalition are ones we already embody in our values and practices every week at the Academy.
But this coalition has shown how powerful it is when people from different sectors come together, from Movember to Refuge, from Kick It Out to Hope Not Hate. We are proud to stand alongside others in our sector and beyond to support the end of violence against women and girls.
We welcome those interested in partnering with us and sharing knowledge to get in touch. We are more powerful together. Email us at info@fightforpeace.net to explore this.
