‘We want to shine a light on the reality of lockdown for women’

In the midst of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, I thought Bristolians would want to hear what is being done across the city to end violence against women.

It’s an issue that Bristol, like most other cities and towns, has failed to get a true handle on – something which Bristol Women’s Commission, which I’m vice chair of, is trying to change.

For our 16 Days campaign, we’re sharing messages from key people on the frontline of the fight against violence against women and girls in Bristol – from police crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens to local MPs, academics and charity leaders such as myself.

I chair the Women’s Commission Women’s Safety Task Group – bringing together partners from across the city to identify, understand and address the gender-based violence affecting women and girls here.

This year we have focused on trying to get behind some of the issues, which lead to domestic homicide in Bristol. Last week saw the release of the Femicide Census’ Ten Year Report which revealed 30 women in the Avon and Somerset area were killed by men between 2009 and 2018. It’s a chilling statistic and is something we all need to take very seriously.

30 women lost their lives at the hands of men in the Bristol area between 2009 and 2018. Photo: Joab Smith

It will be a while before we get the latest figures – from just before and, crucially, during lockdown. But, working with women day-in-day-out, we know that domestic abuse has increased significantly in the city during lockdown – as outlined in our recent annual report and Delivering an inclusive economy post-Covid-19 report.

With limited options to escape, many women are finding themselves and their children locked down in abusive relationships.  Emergency meetings have been held to inform decision makers about the realities of this so that we can respond and support women to safety. For many women, there is the added stress of extra caring responsibilities or redundancy, as women are more disproportionately affected by the economic impact of the pandemic too.

We also know from conversations with women in Bristol that they do not always feel safe on public transport, more so during lockdown with less staff around on buses and trains.  We need to explore this further and are working with the council to gather more data.

As CEO of One25, which supports some of the city’s most marginalised women, I am acutely aware of the huge impact Covid-19 has had on women in the city.  We work with vulnerable women who are street sex working or who have experienced the trauma of having children permanently removed.

The women we work with have all experienced trauma, many live in poverty, are struggling with addiction and many do not have somewhere safe or appropriate to live.

One25’s outreach van meets women on the streets of Bristol at night. Photo: One25

All of these issues have been magnified by lockdown, as other services such as drug rehabilitation and housing are open on a limited basis.  During lockdown we have prioritised our van outreach going out every week night. We continue to reach out in daylight too, bringing women food and craft packs to reduce isolation.

Many are upset and scared; distanced drops of a care pack make a huge difference, so with the support of FareShare South West and Booker, in spring we delivered over 800 meals to women reliant on food banks or isolating with no support network, and provided 58 mobile phones, so that we can remain in touch with them.

Working with Bristol City Council Housing and St Mungos, we housed 18 in the first seven weeks, including some women who were previously the most difficult to engage.

Lockdown has been difficult for many of the women One25 supports. Photo: Ellie Pipe

Working in partnership is something Bristol does well.  The “everyone in” policy which housed homeless people in hotels during lockdown was co-ordinated very effectively.  Our women report, however, that this difficult time has affected their mental health and many have discussed feeling re-traumatised by lockdown.

Bristol Women’s Commission highlighted these experiences in our annual report.  We want to shine a light on the reality of lockdown for women, so that they can get appropriate help. We never give up on the women we represent and will continue our work to keep women safe.

Anna Smith says many women are finding themselves and their children locked down in abusive relationships – photo courtesy of Bristol Women’s Commission

Anna Smith is vice chair of Bristol Women’s Commission and CEO of One25.

Main photo: Bristol Women’s Commission

Read more: Covid-19 pandemic has hit Bristol women disproportionately hard