Safety isn’t just the absence of harm — it’s the quiet confidence of walking home at night, of feeling seen and respected in public spaces and knowing that home is a place of peace. It’s the comfort of belonging without fear.
But for too many women and girls, that feeling of safety is still not guaranteed. Many still face violence, harassment or behaviour that makes them feel unsafe, at home, on the street or online.
What we’re doing:
We are working with Maidstone Borough Council to launch Maidstone Together: A Community Discussion on ending Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG). This is a new way for local people to come together, share experiences and decide how to make the borough safer for everyone. It’s an invitation for residents to come together, listen, learn, and decide what a safer future should look like.
How it will work:
The Community Discussion will bring together a reflective group of residents, reflecting the diversity of the borough. They’ll meet over several sessions to:
- Hear from experts, survivors and community workers,
- Discuss the issues openly and respectfully,
- Develop shared recommendations for how the Council and community can take action.
To make sure everyone feels safe to speak, conversations will start in smaller groups of people who share similar experiences or identities. This helps create trust and understanding before coming together as one group to shape their final ideas.
Deliberation is democracy at its most human: listening deeply, learning openly, and deciding together. When ordinary people are trusted to grapple with extraordinary challenges, the solutions they produce are grounded in empathy, fairness, and lived experience.
Why this matters:
Violence against women and girls takes many forms. It can include:
- Domestic abuse
- Sexual assault
- Controlling behaviour
- Harassment or intimidation in public, or online.
Even small things, like unwanted comments or being followed, can build up and make people change how they live their lives. By understanding these experiences and tackling them together, we can build safer and more equal communities.
Why now?
In December 2024, Maidstone Borough Council committed to taking stronger, evidence-based action to address violence against women and girls. Through a Full Council motion (watch here) and subsequent Housing and Community Cohesion Policy Advisory Committee meeting, (watch here) a new direction was set: one that combines policy, partnership, and participation.
The Council pledged to:
- Develop a borough-wide VAWG Strategy
- Promote a Women’s Night-Time Safety Charter
- Using licensing tools, including taxi and bar/pub licensing, to enhance the safety of women and girls in the borough.
- Ensure women’s safety is embedded in town planning
- Work towards a White Ribbon accreditation
- (White Ribbon accreditation is a programme for organisations that commit to preventing male violence against women by promoting gender equality and a safer organisational culture.)
But lasting changes doesn’t come from policy alone, it comes from people.
That’s why residents’ voices are at the heart of this project.
What’s next?
The Community Discussion will be one of the first major initiatives under Maidstone Borough Council’s Corporate Strategy 2025–2035, which aims to make Maidstone a place people can be proud of, feel safe and where the rights of nature and people are respected. It signals a shift towards a borough where decisions are made with people, not for them.
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. It is preventable. We know from experience, when we come together: to listen, agree and act for a safer future, we can make change that lasts.
Get involved
Please note: sign up is now CLOSED.
Would you like to find out more?
- Read more about how, and FAQs here.
- Contact us at [email protected]
If you’ve experienced violence or abuse, please know support is available.
You can find services at Let's Talk Maidstone.