Our Safer City: uniting against violence and harassment

In late September 2024, Howden Insurance Brokers hosted a launch event for the Prevent Violence against Women and Girls and Domestic Abuse consortium – Our Safer City, bringing together around 100 attendees to address these critical issues.

Opening Remarks

Cheryl Brennan, Managing Director of Employee Benefits & Wellbeing at Howdens, set the tone for the evening: “Businesses play a crucial role in this initiative, but we can no longer act alone. Collaboration is key, and through education, training, and awareness, we can make a meaningful difference.”

Lady Mayoress Elizabeth Mainelli, Patron of Our Safer City, emphasised the importance of creating a culture that matches the Square Mile’s business credentials: “We must ensure everyone feels safe, included, and respected, allowing people to freely enjoy the City’s fantastic hospitality and nightlife.”

 Understanding the challenge

Don Randall MBE, Chairman of Our Safer City, and the event’s chair, highlighted the need to develop a clear understanding of acceptable behaviour as a foundation for effective solutions, and how this was a key message for the evening.

First speaker, Hannah Wadey from the Safer Business Network opened with: “Sadly, nearly all women have experienced inappropriate comments, unwanted attention or felt unsafe in a public place. This just isn’t good enough.” She went onto explain the role of the Safer Business Network: “to bring businesses together, to raise awareness and upskill on key community issues, such as women’s safety.”

Hannah’s take away message from the event was: “Today, we are asking businesses to do the right thing: sign up to be a Safe Haven. It couldn’t be simpler. Open your doors to someone who needs to charge their phone, wait for a friend or maybe public transport. Let’s all work together to keep people safe.” Learn more about Safe Havens here: https://www.saferbusiness.org.uk/safe-havens

Legal Implications in the workplace

Next up was Helen Murphie from ebl Miller Rosenfalck to discuss the upcoming Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, effective October 26, 2024. This legislation requires employers to take proactive steps in preventing workplace harassment.

You can download the exclusive PDF from the event, Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) which outlines essential strategies for compliance and offers practical guidance to help businesses create safer, more respectful workplace environments. Helen also referenced the Sexual Harassment and harassment at work: technical guidance on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website.

Engaging men as allies

Poppy Murray, founder of the Be Lads initiative, shared her inspiring journey via video. Born from the tragic case of Sarah Everard, Be Lads aims to engage men as allies in preventing violence against women and girls, providing them with the tools and language needed to contribute positively to this critical issue.

You can watch Poppy’s video and visit the Be Lads website for further details.

Addressing domestic abuse in the workplace

The next speaker was Susan Bright CEO from Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA) who outlined their role: “EIDA was set up specifically to help employers be part of the solution, to support employees who are experiencing domestic abuse. Our vision is that every employer across the UK takes effective action on domestic abuse.”

Susan shared some of the shocking statistics around domestic abuse, including that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and how this impacts the workplace.

She outlined how EIDA helps employers develop a workplace response, with resources, events, and the latest guidance. She encouraged all UK employers to join EIDA because domestic abuse is all our business.

You can download Susan’s slides Why domestic abuse is a workplace issue and what employers can do about it and visit the EIDA website for details of how to join.

Cultural Change and Women in Leadership

Vanessa Dal Busco from IoD Glass Ceiling Group was the final speaker. She stressed the importance of having more women in top organisational positions to influence culture positively. She advocated for changes in recruiting, onboarding, and promoting women in the workplace.

The power of collaboration

The Our Safer City event at Howden Insurance Brokers highlighted the importance of workplace cultural, behavioural and attitudinal changes around violence against women and girls and domestic abuse. Heather Butler from Our Safer City concluded: “I am struck by the number of people who have experienced violence but I am also struck by the commitment and collaboration of the people here today who want to help. By pulling together to solve these complex problems and societal issues, we can take significant steps towards creating a safer, more inclusive City of London.

For more information on Our Safer City, visit: https://oursafercity.co.uk

For the latest updates, follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-safer-city/