End violence against women and girls
This page introduces our campaign work to end violence against women and girls.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to street-based or home-based violence and abuse.
We’ll listen to those affected by abuse, help keep people safe and help get justice for those that have been a victim.
As part of the UN’s worldwide campaign – 16 days of activism to end gender-based violence – we put on annual events in November and December and share information to help end violence against women and girls in the borough.
Why ending violence against women and girls is important – the statistics
- in the UK, 1,425 women were killed by men in the 10 years to 2018, which is around one killing every 3 days
- in the year ending March 2020 an estimated that 4.9 million women had been victims of sexual assault in their lifetimes
- 7 out of 10 women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public
- 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse during their lifetime
- in Hackney around 20 per cent of all high-risk domestic abuse involves adult sons abusing their mothers
- in the past 10 years out of all killings, more than 9 in 10 killers were men
- in the past year out of the total number of rapes, 98.5% of the rapists were identified as men
Ways you can get involved
Join our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) service user forum
The VAWG service user forum is a supportive space for past and present survivors to:
- meet regularly and connect with others
- learn about new developments in our services
- share their experiences
- provide feedback to help improve our services
You can join the forum if you:
- are aged 18 or over
- live in Hackney
- have experienced any form of VAWG from a partner, ex-partner, family member, or a stranger
The group meets every 3 months on an online video call. We use Google Meet for the video call, which you can use on your phone, tablet or computer.
You do not need to register to come to the meetings. However, by registering you will get a reminder for the upcoming sessions.
Other ways you can get involved
Other ways you can get involved include:
- sharing our tweets and Facebook posts on your own channels
- downloading the posters to put up in your place of work or business
- ordering leaflets by emailing press@hackney.gov.uk if you’re a business or community group
- intervening where safe to do so if you witness abusive behaviour, or calling the police on 999 in an emergency
- registering your interest in becoming a male ally to women and girls and receive training
Ending domestic abuse
We campaign and work with partner agencies across Hackney to raise awareness of domestic abuse.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, think you might be hurting someone, visit our domestic abuse support page for more information.
Posters – Hackney violence against women and girls
- poster 1 – supporting domestic abuse victims and survivors (PDF 173kb)
- poster 2 – changing domestic abuse perpetrator behaviour (PDF 271kb)
- poster 3 – preventing public space abuse of women and girls (PDF 171kb)
- poster 4 – encouraging men and boys to keep women and girls safe in public (PDF 212kb)
If you want to display the posters in your agency you can download them or you can request printed copies from us. To request a printed copy, email the Domestic Abuse Intervention Service via dais@hackney.gov.uk.
Street-based harassment – what to do
In an emergency always call the police on 999, or report a non-emergency incident to the police on 101.
If the incident was on public transport you can contact the British Transport Police by calling or texting 61016.
You can also report anti-social behaviour in parks and on the streets to the Council by emailing asbteam@hackney.gov.uk or calling 020 8356 3310.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
The City and Hackney FGM protocol provides agencies with information on how to safeguard women and girls who are at risk of FGM or have undergone FGM. It sets out how agencies should respond and provides useful information and resources.
See City and Hackney Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) protocol (google doc).
See Female Genital Mutilation report for Hackney 2018 to 2023 (PDF 6.5mb)
To find out more about FGM, visit City of London & Hackney Safeguarding Children Board’s FGM.
If you are worried a child is at risk contact the police on 999 if it is urgent or our children’s social care team:
- see – If you’re worried about a child or young person
- telephone – 020 8356 5500
- email – mash@hackney.gov.uk
Sexual exploitation
Hackney is committed to identifying and tackling all forms of sexual exploitation.
Our monthly sexual exploitation meeting (SEM) brings together professionals from across the Hackney safeguarding partnership to:
- share information
- assess risks
- coordinate actions to reduce harm
The SEM takes a 3-step approach to address and prevent sexual exploitation. These steps are:
- Support people who are experiencing harm.
- Disrupt and sanction people who are causing harm.
- Identify weaknesses in the system and improve responses to prevent harm.
Make a referral to the SEM
If you are a professional and need to make a referral, complete our sexual exploitation meeting referral form (google doc) and email it to SEM@hackney.gov.uk.
To be referred to the SEM, the person must be:
- aged 18 or over
- experiencing or suspected of experiencing sexual exploitation
- living in Hackney or experiencing the exploitation in Hackney
For more information, you can read the Hackney sexual exploitation meeting protocol (google doc).
Do not wait until the sexual exploitation meeting to report criminal offences.
If you need to report a criminal offence to police but it’s not an emergency, call 101 or report it online.
In an emergency call 999.
If you are concerned about anyone in Hackney aged under 18 who is being exploited please treat this as a safeguarding children issue. Notify police and Children’s Social Care. For referral information, see If you’re worried about a child or young person.