On the evening of Tuesday 25th November, Respect held a parliamentary event, hosted by Katrina Murray MP, to celebrate 25 years of our work to end domestic abuse.
As part of the first day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Respect members, trustees, partners and allies came together in the House of Commons to reflect on how we began, the journey the charity has been on so far, and the work that lies ahead.
Alongside networking, discussions, and catching up with old friends, an esteemed line up of speakers shared their thoughts. Our sponsor, Katrina Murray MP, kicked speeches off with a warm message of support: “The work Respect does matters. It changes lives, prevents trauma and protects families.”
Respect’s Patron Dame Vera Baird DBE KC spoke and acted as MC for the night, bringing her wit and wisdom to proceedings. She was joined by Jess Phillips MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, and Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales. Jess Phillips spoke candidly about the trepidation around perpetrator work that she felt and experienced working in the violence against women and girls sector and how her trust in our CEO, Jo Todd CBE, and Respect’s values and principles persuaded her that our work has victims and survivors at its heart. Dame Nicole shared her experience working with Jo Todd when she first moved to the UK in the 1990s and the courage and activism of the leaders at that time who were pioneering approaches to changing systems.
We are also very grateful to two SafeLives Pioneers who joined us – Shana Begum and Annie Gibbs. Shana shared her passion for the work of Respect and the Drive Partnership and her positive experience of working with us to ensure survivor perspectives are included. Looking to the future, Annie spoke powerfully about the need to create an equitable future for all survivors, saying “25 years of courage, compassion, and commitment. Here’s to the next 25 – stronger, fairer, and even more united.” Having women with lived experience at the centre of the event was both important and meaningful.
They were followed by Jess Asato MP, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse, for which Respect is the Secretariat. She spoke about her time working at SafeLives, the need to shift the onus of abuse and its impact from survivors to perpetrators, and the current policy focuses for the APPG.
Respect CEO Jo Todd wrapped up the formal words for the night. After sharing some reflections, Jo announced the launch of our new initiative, the Centre for Excellence. It will bring together data, evidence, practice expertise and lived experience, to create a step change in addressing the perpetration of domestic abuse. She encouraged anyone to reach out who may be interested in being part of or supporting the project.
Collaboration was a key theme throughout the event, as numerous speakers acknowledged that ending violence against women and girls is a task no one individual or organisation can achieve alone. Reaching 25 years of Respect would not have been possible without the staff, trustees, volunteers, partners, supporters, funders, and commissioners – past and present – who joined us in our mission to stop the harms done by those who perpetrate domestic abuse. We look forward to the next chapter of this work together.
With thanks to photographer Kim Gray.
