PCC and Deputy PCC highlight reality of VAWG at major regional conference

PCC and Deputy PCC highlight reality of VAWG at major regional conference

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts and Deputy PCC Dr Fatima Eltinay addressed community organisations, victim services, policing leads and criminal justice colleagues in a powerful speech about the devastating impact of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

They were speaking at the East Midlands Violence Against Women and Girls Conference 2026, joining PCCs, Deputy PCCs, survivors, frontline support practitioners, healthcare and education specialists from across the region for the one-day event, hosted in Leicestershire. 

In an emotive presentation, the PCC and Deputy PCC urged delegates to reflect on the people behind ‘VAWG’ including those who never report it to the police and the untold harm they endure through their experiences.

Insisting it was not enough to simply reach women after they had been harmed, they shared the results of research through the Derbyshire VAWG Survey 2026, exposing the reality of women and girls’ experiences daily.

Delegates were told that after dark, only one in five women feel safe on their own in their town or city centre in Derbyshire, while three-quarters feel unsafe in parks and open spaces after dark.

They also heard that out of the 1,500 women and girls who answered the survey, almost one in four had experienced domestic abuse, assault, sexual offences, stalking, harassment, upskirting, drink spiking and cyber-flashing at least once in the past year. 

“Recorded crime tells us what reaches the system – not what women live with and how they feel,” said the PCC. 

Serious Violence including VAWG is a priority in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, reflecting the concerns of thousands of residents, businesses and stakeholders across Derbyshire.

During their presentation, the PCC and Deputy PCC, who leads on VAWG, showcased the work taking place locally to reach victims in all communities, including those with unheard voices, and to prevent the attitudes and cultural norms that drive gender-based violence. 

They touched on the pioneering Willow Project, run by Rural Action Derbyshire and part-funded by the PCC, which emerged out of lived experiences of abuse and trains people in rural communities to recognise abuse and know where to turn, and the PCC-commissioned service Deaf-initely Women, whose team combine lived experience and specialist expertise to support Deaf women in a way that is accessible, culturally informed and delivered in their own language.

In turning attention to prevention, they told delegates that eradicating VAWG from society should not focus on teaching women to keep themselves safe but in talking to boys and young men about respect, consent, misogyny and what they see online. 

Derbyshire’s Call It Out joint campaign with Derbyshire Police, challenging misogyny before it escalates, was highlighted, and specifically the support it had received from Willmot Dixon, which ran a 10-week campaign across its construction sites and helped to improve a safe house for women. 

Attention was also drawn to the highly successful I Can, I Will bystander programme by Safe and Sound, funded with partners as part of the Derby and Derbyshire Serious Violence Partnership Board. The project helps young people aged 10 to 18 learn how to safely step in and challenge harmful behaviour when they see it. 

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: 

“Too many women and girls do not have to imagine VAWG - they live with it every day, and that should be a wake-up call to us all. 

“By the time violence happens, we are already too late. We cannot arrest our way out of this. Policing matters. Prosecution matters. But if we want fewer victims, prevention must matter just as much.

“The conference provided an opportunity to share the innovative work we are doing in Derbyshire to protect women and girls and importantly, to change the narrative to dismantle the deep-rooted societal norms and power inequalities that allow it to flourish.

“While I am proud of our progress, our overall message at the conference was that progress must not become complacency. This important event reminded us of the power of collective action and recognising that opportunities to learn and evolve must be seized to serve victims and survivors better in the future. This is what they deserve.”

Derbyshire is one of only 17 forces with domestic abuse specialists in its 999 control room, alongside colleagues in Nottinghamshire, making sure the first call is answered with the right expertise.

The county’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre was also one of the first in the country to be accredited, alongside Nottinghamshire.

More recently, the PCC secured additional national funding to strengthen support for victims impacted by the early prison release scheme. Remedi now provides a single point of contact for victims, contacting them within 24 hours and offering personalised support, safety planning and advocacy.

Delegates were told of Derbyshire’s victim and lived-experience centred approach to supporting survivors through Derbyshire Victim Services, protecting them from sharing their story multiple times with different agencies. 

Through the service, victims are connected to specialists commissioned by the PCC who help women navigate their options and access the help they need at a pace and place that is right for them.