According to the Office for National Statistics,  for the year ending March 2020, an estimated  1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse  in the last year (ONS, 2020). It is difficult to collect accurate data about the number of people affected by domestic violence however because a lot goes unreported out of fear. When someone is in an abusive relationship, their whole world is completely controlled by the abuser, often faced with threats to their safety or loved ones if they were to ever speak up.  Below is a useful visual aid to help one understand how these abusers operate. It is also interesting to note that there is a historic misconception that domestic abuse only accounts for physical harm or sexual violence. This is wrong -  Emotional and psychological abuse may not leave physical marks, but  coercive control is just as debilitating. The wheel demonstrates the methods of power and control to contain their victim.  The w...

    Rape Myths and Rape Culture  A myth is a widely held bar false belief or idea, or a misrepresentation of the truth. ‘Rape myths’ are often used by perpetrators to excuse their behaviour and create a greater hostility towards the victim, isolating them further. They can also form an unfair bias in society and influence the criminal prosecution process and therefore it is important to set the records straight. Here is a series of common rape myths and widely-held cultural beliefs, along with the factual truth which reinforces that is is NEVER the fault of the victim. *Trigger Warning* The following statements could be upsetting to some and we encourage you to read with caution and to seek support if you need. Support can be found via these websites: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/ https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/rape-and-sexual-assault/ https://www.rasamerseyside.org   Myth: “If someone gets really drunk, it’s their own fault if they end up gett...

A return of our positive progress where we provide a round-up of the more positive stories in the news and shine the spotlight on some of the more hopeful and practical action that is being taken to improve the safety of women across Liverpool and Nation-wide.   It is so important to keep applying pressure to local MPs, support non-profit organizations working to help women, and display ally-ship…but it is also useful to take a moment and recognize some of the results of these continued efforts and see the positives being done, in an issue so grave and sad.  THE UNITED KINGDOM RATIFIES THE IOL CONVENTION 190 REGARDING VIOLECE AND HARASSMENT According to Guy Ryder’s Twitter feed (Director-General of the International Labour Organization - ILO), on March 7th, 2022, the United Kingdom submitted the instrument of ratification for the convention which is designed to ‘free the world of work from violence and harassment for all women and men’. The United Kingdom and Northern Irelan...

Campaigning for women’s safety in Liverpool means inevitably discussing some unpleasant and upsetting topics.  Across The Birds’ social media platforms this week, the issue of spiking has been at the centre of our posts: https://instagram.com/birdsjustwannahavefun?utm_medium=copy_link   While this is necessary in order to garner attention and highlight the urgency of these issues, we wanted to bring you some positive news about the work being done in Liverpool towards creating a safer city for all. 1. POPULAR LIVERPOOL COCKTAIL SPOT PRAISED FOR ANTI-SPIKING INITIATIVE The team at Slug and Lettuce Liverpool (situated on North John Street) has been praised in the news this week for taking practical action towards combatting spiking. They have been utilising ‘StopTopps’ on their cocktails, which are self-adhesive glass covers made out of foil, designed to deter the contamination of drinks and ensure a safer night-out for all. It is extremely encouraging to see large chains suc...

Welcome to BirdsJustWannaHaveFun! We are a group of university students who are passionate about women's safety in our city of Liverpool! Throughout our campaign, we aim to educate and raise awareness about the reality of living in a vibrant city for women and encourage allyship, fighting against violence towards women. We hope you find our page useful for equipping yourself with the knowledge and tools to campaign for safer streets for the women of Liverpool.Please do not hesitate to get in touch via our social media links, or email us at birdsjustwannahavefun@gmail.com - we would love to hear any opinions, comments or questions! #BirdsJustWannaHaveFun The faces behind the screen... Subhan is heading up our Instagram, while Maisie is tweeting away on Twitter. Luisa is taking the lead on our Facebook page and Becky is behind the blog.   We hope you will stay in touch...🔮 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/birdsjustwannahavefun/   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bir...