A not-for-profit organisation, founded in Stroud, will be presenting at the Cheltenham Literature Festival with Gloucestershire Police and MP Jess Phillips.
The organisation, This Ends Now (TEN), was formed to expose the patriarchy and end male violence against women and girls (MVAWG).
The TEN team will be presenting at VOICEBOX – a “home to free, pop-up content that explores everything from spoken word, sex and wellbeing to mental health, sustainability, politics and social justice”.
TEN Co-Founder and Managing Director, Sydney McAllister, will be joined by representatives from both the Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Gloucestershire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, who will be discussing the Words Matter Reporting Guidelines. The guidelines were co-created by TEN and Gloucestershire Constabulary and aim to improve how police communicators report on instances of male violence.
There will then be a Q&A session where the panel will be joined by MP Jess Phillips (the former Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls and current Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) to answer questions from the audience.
The event will take place on Saturday 5th October at 4:45pm at the Festival Village in Montpelier Gardens and is free of charge.
Sydney McAllister, Co-Founder and Managing Director of TEN, said: “The way we talk about gender-based oppression and male violence against women and girls is crucial. Words have power, and by using language that accurately reflects the severity of the issue, we can help to destigmatize it and empower survivors to come forward.
“The Words Matter Reporting Guidelines are a significant step towards ensuring that police communicators use language that is respectful, accurate, and holds perpetrators accountable. By challenging harmful stereotypes, misogyny, and other forms of gender-based discrimination, we can create a culture of support for survivors, ultimately fostering a more just and equitable society for all.”
Find out more about VOICEBOX and TEN’s event here: https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/our-projects/voicebox
