Finding the right words matters

What does ‘Battle of the Sexes’ conjure up for you? An outdated cliché used to promote so-called romantic comedy? A bizarre tennis match from the 1970’s? The fight for women’s liberation – remember that? Or something more literal and potentially sinister?

Obviously, words invoke different thoughts and images, which is why members of my office and the Constabulary have been working on a set of guidelines to bring greater clarity to our communications.

These reporting guidelines, entitled “Words Matter”, follow a series of rapes and sexual assaults in 2022 in Stroud. That resulted in an opinion piece published in the Stroud Times entitled: ‘Sexual assault rather than rape – is wording sanitising the offence?’ The article, available here, highlighted how communicators tend to say that ‘a woman was raped’, rather than ‘a man raped a woman’.

The danger of this sort of ‘victim blaming’ made us realise that there was no guidance on how to report on Violence and Intimidation Against Women and Girls (VIAWG). Since then, we have researched and created appropriate guidelines alongside the Stroud based not-for-profit organisation ‘This Ends Now’. The result is a progressive brief, recognising the nuances of language and giving practical advice specifically when reporting on male VIAWG. It aims to initiate a change in language, thereby reducing victim blaming and misogyny and, perhaps, create a safer society for victims/survivors.

Producing these guidelines, which we believe are the first of their kind, has been a lengthy, wide ranging consultation involving local and national experts, and resulted in the endorsement of Women’s Aid, The Hollie Gazzard Trust, Zero Tolerance and other relevant bodies. It will improve communications by both the Constabulary and Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, challenge unconscious gender-bias and ensure we do not victim blame. It might also impact on reporting in the media.

During a team-building exercise, relatively soon after I was first elected, a number of conversations in that informal setting, opened my eyes and ears to some of the threats and other issues women face on an almost daily basis. As a man, I was profoundly moved by what I heard. It is why tackling male violence and intimidation against women and girls became a priority in my Police and Crime Prevention Plan.

I am proud of the work my team has put into “Words Matter”, which underpins that commitment.