A number of Medway and Labour Co-operative Group Councillors were in attendance with Fawcett Medway when Rochester Cathedral and Castle turned orange on Thursday.
The Fawcett Society is a charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights at work, at home and in public life. Medway’s branch of the society supported turning the Cathedral orange to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The turning of our important landmarks orange was part of a larger, global action by the UN Women’s annual global campaign #OrangeTheWorld to call attention to gender-based violence and spark a global discussion through 16 days of activism
Cllr Teresa Murray, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Spokesperson for Health said:
“1 in 4 young women who have been in a relationship will have already experienced violence by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-twenties. In my work as a Councillor, I sadly often encounter women who are victims of domestic violence or coercive control.
“This is a problem that is global in scale, completely unacceptable, and I hope that lighting our Cathedral orange on Thursday gave attention to this issue that needs addressing urgently with better resources and training for the relevant support services.”
Cllr Naushabah Khan, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Spokesperson for Housing added:
“Yesterday, Fawcett Medway joined thousands across the world in saying that enough is enough. Male violence against women takes many forms and is not only about domestic violence. Research shows 97% of British women aged 16-24 have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives. We cannot allow this to continue any longer, and the onus shouldn’t be on women to change their behaviour.”
Lauren Edwards, Labour candidate for the Rochester East by-election said:
“These events are an important reminder that there is still much work to do to eradicate violence against women and girls. There is worrying evidence that experiences of domestic abuse may have intensified during the pandemic.
“We need a multi-pronged approach focused on prevention, encouraging women to report to the authorities, ensuring access to justice, and better support for victims. All women should feel safe in our society.”