November 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and also marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism campaign headed up by UN Women which aims to raise awareness of gender-based violence and domestic abuse, as well as what we can all do in support to help put an end to it.
There’s no excuse for gender-based violence, and this year’s campaign focuses on investing to prevent it. At Magna, we have a variety of robust policies aimed at preventing abuse and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults which we follow to make sure that our customers can feel safe in their homes.
Christine Boland, Head of Customer & Community Support at Magna, said: "We accept that everyone has the right to their chosen, lawful lifestyle providing it doesn’t harm or spoil the quality of life for others and this includes our customers and our colleagues. We have an important role in making sure that such rights and obligations are managed effectively.
"Our dedicated team of specialist community safety experts work closely with customers, colleagues, specialist services and our partners to ensure our customers can live safely in their homes, without fear of harm or abuse and that they receive the right support to do this."
One in three women have been subjected to violence at least once in their lifetime, and many who have experienced it don’t seek help due to the stigma and shame surrounding it. Gender-based violence continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality and the fulfilment of women and girls’ human rights.
For the 16 days, we’re changing our logo to orange to show our support. This colour was chosen by UN Women as it’s a bright and optimistic colour which represents a future free from gender-based violence.
We work hard to support our colleagues and ensure that they work in a safe and equal environment and are trained to look out for our customers as well and raise any concerns if they think something is wrong.
Christine continued:
"As a social landlord, we have opportunities to spot signs of violence and abuse and a duty and a moral obligation to act when we do. We have recently reviewed our approach to customer wellbeing and support and, as an outcome, have invested in additional specialist safeguarding and domestic abuse training for all colleagues who work in our customers’ homes and in the wider community, to ensure they feel confident to identify concerns and report them."
Our customers’ safety is our number one priority, and we take any reports of concerns seriously, involving the right people and organisations when needed to help intervene.
