Violence Against Women and Girls

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a serious and ongoing issue that affects our communities. This covers many different types of harmful behaviour, including domestic abuse, sexual assault, controlling behaviour, and harassment or intimidation in public and online.

Following a Full Council motion(External link) in December 2024, we promised to create ways to reduce VAWG in the borough. This includes developing a VAWG strategy and supporting a Women’s Night-Time Safety Charter.

To ensure our efforts are effective and meet resident needs, we are launching this survey to gather diverse experiences and priorities from across Maidstone. This crucial feedback will inform our Community Discussion on VAWG taking place early next year, helping to shape concrete, resident-led recommendations for the Council and our partners.

We urge all residents, no matter your sex or gender, to share your experiences and opinions about Violence Against Women & Girls locally. Your feedback is crucial for us to truly understand this issue across our whole community.

How to get involved

This work is being delivered across three key stages:

1. Survey - Click here to start the survey (opens in a new window)

The goal of this survey is to collect a wide range of your opinions, experiences, and top priorities regarding VAWG across Maidstone.

• Survey takes: 6-9 minutes to complete.

This survey asks about serious and sensitive topics. If any question makes you uncomfortable, you can skip it or stop at any time. If you feel upset, distressed, or unsafe at any point, please reach out to one of the free, confidential helplines listed on this page.

2. Safety Map - Click here to open the safety map - Have your say and tell us where you feel safe or unsafe in Maidstone. Use the map to give us feedback on as many places as you want. Use the 'help' tab for guidance on how to place a pin.

3. Community Discussion - Click here to find out more about the Community Discussion (opens in a new window)

The anonymous information we get from this survey will help shape our wider Community Discussion on VAWG taking place early next year.

We are recruiting a group of Maidstone residents to join and help shape these discussions. Your ideas will be turned into actions for the Council and its partners to take forward.

If you are interested in joining the discussion, you can fill out this short form to register your interest (opens in a new window)

Please note: Completing this survey does not automatically sign you up for the discussion group. You will need to apply separately.

What Next

Consultation closes: 11 January 2026

You can find out how your input is used and follow the results of this survey and the local discussions by visiting this page and following us on our official social media channels.