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 committed to creating ways to reduce VAWG in the borough. This work includes the development of a dedicated VAWG strategy and support for a Women’s Night-Time Safety Charter.

To ensure our efforts were effective and met resident needs, we launched a comprehensive consultation to gather diverse experiences and priorities from across Maidstone. This crucial feedback informed our Community Deliberation on VAWG, helping to shape concrete, resident-led recommendations for the Council and our partners.

Consultation Highlights

Thank you to everyone who participated. With over 1,200 responses across both the adult and youth surveys, the feedback provided a detailed evidence base for this work.

Adult Survey Insights

• Daily Impact: 71% of residents have changed their routines or taken personal precautions to protect their safety.

• The Digital Threat: Nearly three quarters of residents identify technological and online abuse as a significant concern.

• Direct Experience: A substantial number of respondents shared personal experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, highlighting the importance of a dedicated strategy.

Youth Survey Insights

• Harmful Content: 74% of youth respondents have encountered online content that promotes gender inequality in relationships and society.

• Safety Awareness: While 62% of young people are concerned about being a victim of online violence, only 15% currently recognise technological abuse as a form of Violence Against Women and Girls.

• Precautionary Steps: Nearly a third of youth respondents have altered their daily habits or used safety tools to feel more secure.

Community Deliberation — Complete

Between 28 February and 21 March 2026, a group of Maidstone residents took part in a four-week community deliberation — a groundbreaking approach to local decision-making that put lived experience at the heart of shaping our borough's response to VAWG.

Over the course of the programme, participants heard from a range of leading experts including Jess Phillips MP (Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls), Professor Fiona Vera Gray (London Metropolitan University), Leyla Buran (Centre for Protecting Women Online), and Dr Stephen Burrell (Melbourne Research Alliance to End Violence against Women and their Children), among others.

Together, participants examined the consultation findings, explored the root causes of VAWG, and worked collaboratively to develop a set of clear, resident-led recommendations for the Council and its partners to take forward.

What Happens Next?

The deliberation has now concluded and the recommendations are currently being written up. We will share these as soon as they are available, and they will feed directly into Maidstone's VAWG strategy and our wider approach to making the borough safer for everyone.

This is just the beginning - we are committed to continuing this kind of community-led approach, and further deliberations are planned for the future.

Stay Updated

This project is an ongoing commitment to the safety of women and girls in our borough. We will provide regular updates as the recommendations are finalised and the VAWG strategy begins to take shape.

To be notified about outcomes and future opportunities to contribute, please sign up to our consultation mailing list.