Women and girls invited to share their experiences of gender violence to help influence change in No More Week

Credit: The Office of the Derbyshire PCC

A major new survey has launched in a bid to understand lived experiences of sexual harassment and other gender crimes across Derbyshire.

The online survey has been created by Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts and coincides with No More Week (March 2nd-8th) – a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of domestic abuse and sexual violence and society’s role in bringing solutions.

Serious Violence including Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is the top priority in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan 2024-29, shaped by the views of thousands of residents across the county.

The PCC vowed in her Plan to consult women and girls to understand what more can be done to give them greater confidence in their communities and reduce their risk of harm.

While she remains focused on targeting the perpetrators of VAWG crimes, the PCC also prioritises a prevention-first approach and is keen to empower women to use their voice to steer future improvements in public safety.

Derbyshire’s Deputy PCC, Fatima Eltinay, who leads on VAWG for the Commissioner, said: “The prevalence of violence against women and girls globally is shocking and unacceptable. In the UK alone, this issue is already a national emergency, with online and tech-enabled abuse an ever-evolving threat.

“As safety leaders, we must take bolder action to protect more women from these appalling crimes. By understanding lived experiences and the measures women themselves feel compelled to take to feel safer, we can ensure our policies and improvement plans are grounded in reality and support women in the way they want.

“We’re making good progress in Derbyshire, investing significant resources into protecting people from becoming both future perpetrators and victims, addressing behaviour early before it escalates and enhancing our support facilities to safeguard survivors from future harm.

“Undoubtedly, the strong relationships between and force and our partners is contributing to our success. The goal now is to keep the momentum going and ensure we continue to make our streets and public spaces safer for all. Please support our efforts by completing this short survey.”

The VAWG survey invites women and girls to share any experiences they have had of crimes such as harassment, domestic abuse, sexual offences, stalking, cyber flashing and drink spiking.

It also asks respondents whether the perpetrators of these crimes were influenced by alcohol or drugs at the time of the offence.

There are questions women about how safe they feel during the day and at night in a range of locations from town or city centres and workplaces through to bus and train stations and invites them to describe behaviours they might use to make them feel safer from walking with someone and keeping to well-lit areas and those covered by CCTV.

In other parts of the survey, respondents are asked whether they feel Derbyshire Constabulary and local councils could do more to reassure and protect them when violent or sexual crimes against women and girls take place.

The Commissioner’s Plan sets out several commitments related to VAWG. These include delivering initiatives that aim to address crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls such as domestic abuse, sexual offences, stalking and harassment.

She has also pledged to develop initiatives that aim to educate young people and adults on the issues surrounding VAWG offences, increase awareness of and strengthen VAWG victim/survivor support and the aftercare available and engage women and girls to better understand their concerns to boost trust and confidence in the police.

No More Week is observed annually and calls on communities to play an active role in eradicating domestic abuse and sexual violence. Alongside empowering survivors to use their voice for change, the campaign advocates for unity in policies and decision-making that work to prevent violence.

To complete the VAWG survey, please visit: Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts’ 2026 Violence against Women and Girls Survey.