Supporting 16 days of action

“The campaigns come days after we launched the Mayor’s West Yorkshire Safety of Women and Girls Strategy. The strategy reveals the shocking experiences and challenges facing women and girls, and outlines a plan to tackle them, bringing about long-term change.

“Here in West Yorkshire, we support the police to target the perpetrators. Victim care is also an absolute priority and we have a range of fantastic services available to help those that need it. We commission Victim Support to provide dedicated care to victims, as well as more specialist services such as the state-of-the-art Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

“The Mayor has also awarded £425,000 for a county-wide Stalking Advocacy Service for victims of domestic stalking, which has seen almost 200 referrals since going live, only a few weeks ago.

“The message I want to leave you with is please don’t suffer in silence. Report abuse, report it if you’re suffering it, report it on behalf of anyone you know that doesn’t feel able to do it themselves. Help is out there, you will be listened to and believed. You can report it to the police, local authorities, and dedicated victims services.”

To find out more about services for victims visit www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/policing-and-crime/support-for-victims.