Wrekin’s support for women in society
At Wrekin Housing Group, it’s imperative that women feel safe and valued in every aspect of their lives. As an organisation we rely on women to deliver exceptional results, without them we would not be able to deliver the services that we provide or make a difference to people’s lives’ on such a regular basis.
Wrekin believe that more has to be done to support women in all aspects of life, as an organisation we have continued to support The Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) Make a Stand Campaign and more locally the White Ribbon campaign.
On the 3rd of March, Sarah Everard went missing. Her body was discovered several days later, in a woodland area and the post-mortem examination revealed that Sarah died as a result of compression of the neck.
Sarah appeared to take every opportunity to remain safe, she took a well-lit route on a main road home, where she knew there would be other people and intended to get back in the early evening. She took these precautions to stay safe, through conducting risk assessments that only women would ever understand. Even taking precautions she wasn’t safe.
What happened to Sarah resulted in an outpouring of emotion, with women sharing stories of their frightening experiences with men and the precautions they take on a day to day basis to protect themselves. The tragic circumstances that surround Sarah Everard’s story resonated with so many women who have been reminded that the steps they take are often insignificant if men and wider society will not push for their protection.
This realisation reframes the point of responsibility. It demonstrates that it is not women who must take more precautions to be safe, but instead men who should take responsibility for their actions, pro-actively support women and make them feel safe in society.
We believe that men must do more so that women feel safe, no matter the circumstances. Men must do more so that women don’t feel threatened when men are walking behind them. Men must do more so that women feel comfortable doing whatever it is they want to do. Whether that is exercising, wearing whatever they want, going to the shops, going out, living their lives, they should feel comfortable under any circumstances. Men need to make a conscious effort to support women and break this mould. Because women are tired and afraid.
Wrekin’s position is that things need to change. We feel it’s important to instil these values across our organisation, from our newest Kickstarters, to the board, to our tenants and residents.
We advocate for the appreciation, support and safety of all women in society at all times, no matter the circumstances.
At Wrekin, we are committed to ensuring the safety of our staff and customers. The Group have demonstrated this though our policy on domestic abuse and appropriate safeguarding procedures, which are delivered to all frontline Wrekin employees.
We all have a role to play in creating safe communities.
2nd June 2021