Victims’ Services Advocacy Project

Victim Support wants to know more about the issues affecting local victims and witnesses of crime. So early this year, they appointed a national network of victims’ services advocates in partnership with the Commission for Victims and Witnesses.

The team are talking to victims and witnesses about their experience of crime and finding out what services are available across England and Wales.

Their findings will produce a series of local reports which they will use to raise awareness of important issues affecting victims and witnesses. Their work will also be used to make sure that the new Police and Crime Commissioners for each police force have victim and witness issues on their agenda.

They want to hear your voice

As part of this project, they want to hear about your experiences locally including:

- how you were treated as a victim or witness by the police and the criminal justice system

- if you found suitable support services to help you through this difficult time in your life

- whether or not your reported the crime, and if not, why

They want to hear from people who have been a victim or witness in the last two years, especially for: 

- antisocial behaviour

- sexual assault

- domestic abuse

- hate crime

What to do

Focus groups and interviews will be taking place in your area over the next three months. If you want to take part please contact your local victims’ services advocate – Robin Newman, Victims’ Services Advocate (Wiltshire & Dorset) on 01380 738 872 or by email at robin.newman@victimsupport.org.uk
*please note - importantly for the research, participants have to experienced the crime within the last two years and must not have any criminal justice proceedings pending*

Posted: January 16 by Matt (updated January 16) • Add comment

Are you Grey and Gay?

Are you an older member of the LGBT community, if so we would like to hear from you. Swindon NHS would like to improve their services to the community and understand that the older LGBT community's voice isn't always heard so they would like to set up a focus group to hear what you have to say. All information you provide would be confidential and it gives your voice a real reason to be heard! If you would like to take part or find out more information please get in touch 01793 250951 info@menssexaulhealth.org.uk

Posted: January 10 by Unknown (updated January 10) • Add comment

STIQ DAY

STIQ Day has been launched to get people thinking about their sexual health and encourage more people to get regular sexual health checks.  No one likes to think they've caught a sexually transmitted infection (STI) but without a test you just can't be sure.

This year STIQ Day takes place on 14th January, a date chosen because many common STIs such as Chlamydia can take two weeks to be detectable. If your festive season included unprotected sex then you should be thinking about getting tested now. Also with just one month to go before Valentine’s Day anyone hoping to enjoy the celebrations to the full should do so knowing that they are infection free and will not be putting someone else’s sexual health in danger.

More and more people in the UK are catching STIs and each year the infection rate is rising. Regardless of how old you are, if you're gay or straight, if you've had one partner or 100 - just one unprotected sexual encounter could have put you at risk of catching an STI.

Even if you feel perfectly healthy you could still be carrying something. Often getting routinely tested is the only way that people can detect an infection - and the earlier they are tested and treated, the less chance there is of long-term damage being caused.

Getting a sexual health check is easy and shouldn’t be embarrassing or shameful; sex is a normal part of adult life so sexual health checks should be to. It's a quick, simple process that not only puts your mind at rest but could protect your fertility or even save your life - or that of your partner.

To find out about different STI's please click on the tab above 'sexual & general health' or give us a call on 01793 250951 if you have any concerns you'd like to talk to a member of staff about, we even offer a gum buddy service where we can make the appointment for you, and attend with you if you so wish.

Remember if you live in Swindon you can order FREE Condoms, Dams & lube from our site so you can always be prepared when the moment occurs.

Posted: January 10 by Unknown (updated January 16) • Add comment

World Aids Day December 1st 2011

This Thursday will be the annual World Aids Day December 1st and this year Men’s Sexual Health has teamed up with Swindon Tesco. The team will be spending the day at Tesco Extra, Ocotal Way, with a big display offering a large selection of posters, leaflets and selling red ribbons to those who would like to show there support to the cause. The team will be on hand to offer advice on a range of sexual health issues and providing guidance on reducing risk of HIV transmission.

They will be continuing to promote last year’s successful campaign of ‘Respect the Ribbon, Wear a Condom’  at other venues across Swindon, such as the colleges and popular LGBT friendly venues, Pink Rooms & The Mailcoach.

Globally, the number of new HIV infections as well as deaths related to AIDS have dropped to their lowest levels since the epidemic reached its peak, according to a new report issued by UNAIDS. The authors state that this has been a game-changing year for worldwide fight against AIDS. In comparison to 1997, the rate of new HIV infections has dropped by 21%, while AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 21% since 2005. There are many reasons for the decline including people having fewer sexual partners, using more condoms and, perhaps most importantly, "a massive scale up in access to HIV treatment."

• The number of people living with HIV in the UK has trebled in the last 10 years
• More than 90,000 people are living with HIV in the UK
• Around a quarter of people with HIV in the UK are undiagnosed
• About two thirds of people living with HIV are men and a third are women
• Over half of all people living with HIV are aged between 30 and 49, but there are significant numbers both of young people and older people now living with HIV

• 6,658 new HIV diagnoses
• The two groups most affected remain gay and bisexual men and black African heterosexuals – over three-quarters of people diagnosed with HIV in 2010 were among these two groups
• 3,000 new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men — the highest number ever recorded in a year
• 3,350 new HIV diagnoses were acquired heterosexually and more than two-thirds of these acquired their HIV abroad
• Half of adults were diagnosed with HIV at a late stage of infection (after the point at which treatment should have begun)

 All figures from the Health Protection Agency.

• The number of new HIV infections has declined globally by 21% since the estimated peak of the epidemic in 1997
• 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV worldwide in 2009
• In some parts of the world (particularly within Sub-Saharan Africa) between 15-28% of the population are living with HIV

• 34 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 0.8% HIV adult prevalence worldwide
• 50% of people living with HIV worldwide are women
• 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths

• 2.7 million people diagnosed with HIV
• 390,000 new HIV infections among children
• HIV incidence has fallen in 33 countries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa

 All global figures from UNAIDS

The best protection from HIV transmission remains using condoms for any form of sex, you can get these for free from your GP, Family Planning Clinic, GUM Clinic or from our website for those living in Swindon.

Please help show your support on the days leading up to and including by purchasing a red ribbon and donating money. Ribbons available from us on Dec 1st at Tesco Extra Ocotal Way, Swindon.

For more info on HIV/AIDS visit http://www.hivaware.org.uk/

Posted: November 28, 2011 by Matt (updated January 10) • Add comment

Domestic Abuse Awareness Week: 21-25 November 2011

Domestic Abuse takes many forms, from physical to verbal to emotional.  As part of Domestic Violence Awareness week, Men’s Sexual Health will be working in partnership with Swindon Domestic Violence Services and the Community Safety Partnership to highlight the issues that face victims of abuse and the services available to them. 

Domestic abuse is defined as ‘any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between two adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.’   It can happen to anyone, in all kinds of relationships – heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. People experience domestic violence regardless of their social group, age, class, lifestyle, disability or sexuality. It can begin at any time – in a new relationship or after many years together.  Unfortunately, fear and intimidation that is inherent in this kind of relationship often means that victims will suffer in silence for years.  Between April 2010 and March 2011 there were 4,532 domestic abuse incidents reported to Wiltshire Police.

Male Domestic Violence Statistics:

·          The police receive a 999 call every three minutes from a male victim

·         1 in 6 men will experience Domestic Violence in their life

·         Every 3rd victim of Domestic Violence is a man

·         Domestic Violence equates to approx 25% of all reported violent crimes 
  

·         9% of all reported violent crimes are Domestic Violence cases involving male victims

·         Approximately 4 million men are affected every year by domestic violence

·         Practically the same percentage of men as women is victims of severe acts of Domestic Violence.

There is help and support.

In addition to a dedicated Domestic Abuse Unit, the Swindon Police are now able to issue Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs), as part of a year long pilot by the Home Office.  The DVPO pilot is designed to protect victims in the short term and give them the breathing space to consider their next steps, including pursuing longer term protection through an application for a civil injunction. 

A police officer who responds to a domestic abuse incident can apply to a superintendent for a Domestic Violence Protection Notice (DVPN) when there is not enough evidence to bring a criminal charge, but there is concern that someone is at risk.

A DVPN will only be authorised if a superintendent is satisfied that a victim has suffered violence or is at risk. Once a DVPN is issued it must be brought before magistrates within 48 hours.

Magistrates must be satisfied, before approving a police request for a DVPO, that “on the balance of probabilities”, the perpetrator has used violence, or the threat of violence, against the victim.

DVPOs can require the perpetrator not to contact the victim or return to the victim’s address for a minimum of 14 days and maximum of 28. Breaching a DVPO can lead to a fine with costs or jail.

For more information, the Community Safety Partnership  has online leaflets about warning signs and contact numbers.

If you’d like to talk to us about these issues, please ring:  01793 250951

Read more about Swindon's awareness raising activities here.

Posted: November 21, 2011 by Mara (updated January 10) • 1 comment