Engender blog

I am grappling with my unproductivity, as my concentration veers from a report on gender equality in the media to the horrifying details emerging from the trial of Sarah Everard’s killer. I suppose it is little wonder; while half my brain analyses the discourses being reproduced in the inevitable public discussion of the trial, the other half is reeling from the fear she must have felt. Just as I deconstruct the ideologies behind the Met’s next statement, I feel again an incandescence of anger that is too bright to bear. The language coming from sites of political and police power is so very problematic, reinforcing misogynistic norms and neglecting to acknowledge the crisis of men’s violence against women.

As part of my Msc Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods degree I have been on placement with Engender to investigate gender representation at the local authority level. My previous blog post highlighted the number of women councillors within Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh Council. Since then I have been exploring key policies within each council designed to address gender-based violence (GBV). In this blog post I will outline some of Renfrewshire’s key gender-based violence policies.

Renfrewshire Council’s GBV Strategy

In 2014 the Scottish government published “Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls”. This strategy conveys the responsibility that all levels of society, including the local authority level, have in tackling violence against women and girls. In response to Equally Safe, Renfrewshire launched “Equally Safe in Renfrewshire: Renfrewshire’s No to Gender-Based Violence Strategy 2018-2021”. The strategy details the aim to establish Renfrewshire as a place where GBV is not tolerated and those affected by GBV are provided with support.

Key GBV statistics outlined in the document demonstrate the prevalence of domestic abuse and sexual crimes in Renfrewshire. Statistics on local attitudes found that the majority of respondents acknowledge the role of gender in experiences of abuse. However, a significant minority did not reflect these views conveying the continuing challenge to tackle GBV. Furthermore, a “ChildrenCount Wellbeing Survey” uncovered the prevalence of emotional control in teenage intimate relationships. Importantly, the strategy takes an intersectional approach by recognising the diverse impact of GBV on BME women, LGBT people, people with disabilities, refugee women, women with no recourse to public funds and women with complex needs.

A progress report of the GBV strategy is published annually during the 16 Days of Action (25^th November – 10^th December). I was curious to see these annual reports. However, trying to find council reports is challenging. After exploring the Renfrewshire council website, I came across a link which took me to Renfrewshire’s committee and councillor’s website. The website contains the various committees and their members, minutes from committee meetings and council documents and reports. Here, I typed “gender-based violence” into the search bar and found the GBV Strategy year 1 review and the GBV Strategy year 2 mid-year review. While reading these I uncovered an interesting policy. Under the GBV strategy, Renfrewshire launched a Domestic Abuse Policy for staff in 2019:

Renfrewshire’s Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff

Renfrewshire was one of the first local authorities in Scotland to introduce a Domestic Abuse Policy for staff. The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate Renfrewshire’s zero-tolerance approach to domestic abuse. The policy has been developed in line with Equally Safe and complies with the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 which criminalises many forms of abuse, including psychological abuse and coercive control. According to the Human Rights Commission, 75% of people who experience domestic abuse are targeted at work, showing the importance of implementing guidance for staff.

Under the policy, employees experiencing domestic abuse can request up to 10 days paid leave per annum. The policy provides guidance for staff that experience domestic abuse and guidance on how to recognise if a colleague is experiencing domestic abuse. For instance, this could be changes in behaviours, changes in timekeeping, changes in work performance or isolating themselves. The policy also outlines the steps managers should take if they suspect an employee is experiencing domestic abuse.