“The depth and breadth of the work done by women’s and girls’ organisations working to address male violence cannot be overstated.”
A new report released today by Rosa details the impact of the Stand With Us Fund and gives concrete examples of how collective action and the investment in women’s and girls’ organisations can transform lives and create lasting change.
In recent months the news has been filled with distressing scenes of racism and islamophobia, driven mostly by violent men on our streets, and what feels like endless stories of men abusing their power to harm, control and kill women and girls. It is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all and harder still to feel like society is making any progress on making the UK safer for women and girls.
Rosa knows one of the biggest barriers to progress in addressing the impact male violence has on women and girls is the lack of investment in the organisations working to do just that, and this is why Rosa’s Stand With Us Fund exists. In 2022, with funding raised by Reclaim These Streets in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, Rosa created a fund to help strengthen and sustain the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector.
The Stand With Us Fund Impact Report provides some hope of what can be achieved when we work together to address VAWG and when women’s and girls’ organisations are given the right investment. The organisations that received grants from the Fund quadrupled Rosa’s investment, raising £4 for every £1 invested, to a total of £2.1 million. Their work impacted 13,359 women and girls in one year alone.
The depth and breadth of the work done by women’s and girls’ organisations working to address male violence cannot be overstated. They provide emergency help for women and children and a safe space to escape to. They offer unique and critical services, such as employment training, psychological and legal support, confidence building, and relocation help, such as with tenancies or finding new schooling, to help women and children to stay safe.
We are hugely grateful to everyone who donated to, supported, championed, designed and delivered the Stand With Us Fund. We are incredibly proud of the impact the funding has had on the organisations that received it.
There is still more to do and the fight must continue to ensure women and girls can live in a society in which they are safe, healthy and equal.
Read the report here.