Two research articles of VPU were published in the September issue of the Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB):
- ‘Preventing sexual harassment through a prosocial bystander campaign it’s #SafeToSay’ by Alex Walker, Emma R. Barton, Bryony Parry and Lara C. Snowdon
- ‘Wales without violence: A framework for preventing violence among children and young people’ by Emma R. Barton, Lara C. Snowdon, Bryony Parry and Alex Walker
The #SafeToSay research article compared the impact of Phase One and Phase Two of the #SafeToSay campaign and the feedback on the campaign. While Phase One was a general call to action through a prosocial bystander approach, Phase Two was delivered in Swansea and was specifically targeted towards men. Research has shown that women are most commonly victims of sexual harassment and men are most often the perpetrators of such violence. Thus, the campaign was aimed at addressing the problematic attitudes and beliefs, and also equipping bystanders with awareness and knowledge to act towards deflecting incidents of sexual harassment, problematic behaviour and attitudes, in the night-time economy. The campaign’s evaluations found that it had made a measurable impact on the public and had provided them the confidence to act as ‘prosocial bystanders’. However, specifically targeting men for Phase Two caused social media backlash. Thus, the research finds that the messaging has to ensure that men and boys are not being called out as perpetrators, and instead should focus on how to engage men and boys in such initiatives and acknowledge that men can also be victims of sexual harassment.
The Wales Without Violence Framework is an evidence-informed and co-produced strategy, informed by the views of over 1000 children, young people and professionals in Wales. It is specifically focussed on preventing violence among children and young people (CYP) as research has shown that the CYP demographic is at a higher risk of experiencing multiple forms of violence which can lead to long-term negative consequences on their physical, mental and social well-being. It was noted that violence prevention approaches are most effective in children and young people, and prevention of violence from a younger age is shown to have led to positive impacts on health and well-being. The Framework amplifies the voices, experiences and concerns of children and young people affected by such violence, and also sets out nine strategies that work in preventing violence, curated through research and extensive consultation with children, young people and professionals in Wales.
Read the articles: