News

New initiative aimed to improve women’s safety

Glasgow Taxis recently launched a new initiative offering to provide a safe, secure and prioritised service to women. The development, which was run initially over the Christmas period, has now been extended indefinitely. The “Female First” service is intended to stop women having to wander about in search of a taxi after a night out or at other times.

All drivers are guaranteed to have undergone Full Enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks and all calls are recorded both digitally and on paper. Payment of the account is monthly, meaning that no cash is required to book one, and the facility means that women can use the account to stop any Glasgow Taxi (with a small flag on top) on the street.

Anyone wishing to register someone for a “Female First” account should contact 0141 554 2222 and quote “Female First”.

The Welsh Assembly Government has launched a campaign to challenge a culture of victim blaming. http://www.stopblame.org/en/

The Stop Blame campaign aims to dispel the myth that victims of rape or assault are in any way responsible for the heinous crimes that they suffer. Victims of rape or sexual assault may be reluctant to report the crime for fear of being judged as responsible for what has happened to them. The campaign aims to put an end to this attitude by showing victims, perpetrators and the public that the blame lays solely with the assailant and not with the victim.

Wales’ Social Justice Minister Carl Sargeant said: “Victims of rape or sexual assault are in no way responsible for what happens to them. Apparent justification such as ‘she was too drunk’ or ‘she was asking for it’ just doesn’t wash. This attitude can be extremely damaging for the victims and we must put an end to it now. There is absolutely no excuse for committing rape or sexual assault and the blame should never be placed on the victim.”

Paula Hardy, Chief Executive of Welsh Women’s Aid, said: “Welsh Women’s Aid and the violence against women sector in Wales have been working closely with the Assembly Government in the development of the campaign. We welcome its launch, which proactively challenges the myths around victim blame, and we hope this will lead to greater justice and support for survivors of rape and sexual assault."

The Welsh Assembly Government campaign was launched on Friday 17 December with a series of radio adverts, outdoor posters and online advertising. The campaign is supported by the stopblame.org website which aims to challenge the blame culture and also features information and advice for victims.