A Wokingham Borough councillor has reacted with shock after a male hurled abuse at her while in a ‘safe space’.
The incident has also prompted her to call for more action to stamp out violence against women.
Cllr Sarah Kerr said violence against women and girls exists in Wokingham, and it can “stop them living the lives they would choose for themselves.
She is spearheading a strategy that will arm Wokingham Borough Council and other organisations with the tools to help tackle sexist violence.
The council’s executive committee – its leading group of councillors – approved the strategy at a meeting last week.
Councillor Kerr said the plan was needed as violence against women and girls still too often goes ignored or unnoticed.
She said: “This abuse exists here in Wokingham. I was talking to a male friend the other day who didn’t think it did – didn’t understand that in Wokingham women and girls suffer violence.
“On Tuesday I was in a safe space and I got verbally abused by a man, and it really shook me. This happens all the time and it’s quite often hidden – it’s underreported.”
She added: “A lot of time women and girls fear going to the authorities because they are not always believed.
“So many women and girls actually stop living the lives they would choose to live for themselves because they want to avoid the violence and abuse.”
Councillor Kerr launched her effort to change how the council tackles violence against women and girls last year.
Its aim is to make sure that the council’s attitude to sexist violence puts the responsibility on the perpetrator – not the survivor.
Councillor Kerr also said she wants to encourage a culture where men challenge sexist behaviour.
“What I’m talking about here is, this can be things like upskirting, it can be stalking, it can be bullying, it can be sexual assault, it can be rape and in some cases it’s murder.
“The reason why this happens is because of the deep-rooted misogyny that we have in society that still exists that objectifies women and girls.
“This is not to say that violence and abuse doesn’t happen to men and boys – we know it does. This is a very specific kind of violence and abuse that happens to women and girls because they’re women and girls.”
She added the strategy ‘is about men saying we need to call out the misogyny that happens in society that leads to this’.
With the strategy now approved, Cllr Kerr and Wokingham Borough Council will now develop a “more detailed action plan” with steps it will take to put the strategy into action.
The council is also seeking accreditation from the White Ribbon charity, which tackles violence against women and girls. This involves adopting a three-year action plan drawn up with the charity.
