Recent tragic murders have prompted a national conversation around the safety of women and girls in public spaces. In the UK, 97% of women aged 18-24 say they have experienced harassment in public.

This prompted the Safer Ealing Partnership (SEP) to organise a public listening exercise to hear the views of women and girls over the age of 13 who live, work and travel in the Borough of Ealing.

The Safer Ealing Partnership is an integrated partnership between different teams at Ealing Council. It oversees the functions and statutory responsibilities of the drug and alcohol action team, the youth offending services and the Ealing Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership. It is managed by the community safety team.

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After listening to the concerns of women and girls across the borough, the SEP has developed an action plan to address these unacceptable behaviours and attitudes towards women.

The Ealing Council action plan for a Safer Ealing For Women can be downloaded from Ealing Council website

Key provisions in the action plan include:

• Education: Ealing will run workshops and educational programs with key community groups and secondary schools focused on identifying and addressing unacceptable behaviours
• Communication: The SEP will launch a dedicated Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) website with links to support organisations and resources, as well as information on reporting
• CCTV: The SEP will install and upgrade CCTV cameras in the borough, as well as clear signage and a QR codes linking residents to the VAWG website
• Street lighting: The Council will improve street lighting, focusing on darker side streets and areas identified by respondents. There is also a commitment to upgrade more than 3,000 streetlights to LED, which will, in the future, allow the installation of motion sensors
• Reporting: Ealing Police have committed that an officer will contactl female informants and victims of open-space violence or unwanted sexual attention
• Community: The police have also promised to hold a Walk & Talk activity once a month and organise community activities and events to reach out and build confidence in communities

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Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council stated: “Our listening exercise is just the first step in tackling inequality, challenging misogyny, and making Ealing a fair and inclusive place, where everyone is welcome.

“Everyone must both feel and be safe. Only through listening to residents and working with the Metropolitan Police and partner organisations can we make the necessary improvements - and come together to improve the safety of women, and everyone, in our borough.”

Councillor Aysha Raza, cabinet member for tackling inequality, would like to thank all those who participated and supported SEP in this important work.

“Thank you to all the brave and honest women who took part in the consultation. It has been so encouraging to see the thousands of responses – and this is just the start of the conversation. Through listening to your voices, and your experiences, we are able not only to set out the challenges, but also set out real and meaningful action to improving women’s safety in Ealing.”