*First published Saturday 6 December 2014 in Bournemouth Daily Echo by Jane Reader
MORE than 200 delegates from across Dorset attended the No Excuse For Abuse conference held at Bovington Park.
Co-hosted by Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill and the Women’s Action Network Dorset (WAND), it attracted speakers on a range of different topics.
They included domestic abuse survivor Eve Thomas who founded the #SAFE organisation and helped to change legislation.
She said: “The conference was a rip-roaring success with so many professionals committed to fighting the war on domestic violence and abuse.”
PCC Martyn Underhill added: “This awful crime is a huge priority for my team and Dorset Police. It was humbling to see a standing ovation for Eve Thomas who was
brave enough to talk about her experiences that led her to establish the #SAFE project.”
Delegates were able to undertake workshops, expanding on the topics covered in the morning session, and also covering LGBT Domestic Abuse, and Domestic
Abuse Interven-tion Training.
Speakers covered topics including support for young witnesses of domestic abuse, working with perpetrators of abuse, raising awareness of young victims and
introducing the new Dorset Police Domestic Abuse Training DVDs.
The event was chaired by WAND patron Tracey West who said: “One of the things this conference highlighted was the complexity of how domestic abuse is handled by
the various agencies.
“I watched solutions take shape by people simply connecting and talking to each other.”
She added: “The victims of domestic abuse in Dorset will now receive better care as a result of it and I look forward to the day when the epidemic of domestic abuse is
a piece of human history.”
Recent Comments