• Researchers from across the fields of health, policing, psychology and criminal law are combining their expertise to develop research and apply their expertise in ways that will help women and girls suffering from violence and abuse. 
• This project is a joint collaboration between Keele’s Policing Academic Collaboration (KPAC) and Keele Institute for Social Inclusion (KISI) who will be joining forces with experts from across Keele’s three Faculties.
• The project will be used to develop a research-led framework for professionals and policymakers in this field. 

A key priority 

Researchers from across the fields of health, policing, psychology and criminal law are combining their expertise to develop research and apply their expertise in ways that will help women and girls suffering from violence and abuse.  

Tackling violence against women and girls is a key priority for the UK Government, police, and the criminal justice system. But despite attempts to tackle this issue, statistics suggest there has been no reduction over recent years. 

Recommendations for professionals and policymakers 

This project is a joint collaboration between Keele’s Policing Academic Collaboration (KPAC) and Keele Institute for Social Inclusion (KISI) who will be joining forces with experts from Keele’s three Faculties, to try and understand more about what can be done to help prevent the harms surrounding women and girls suffering domestic violence.  

Evidence also shows that ethnic minority women suffer additional discrimination and therefore experience more severe abuse for longer, and face more challenges to accessing support and justice, so the project will have a strong focus on women from ethnic minority communities who face an added layer of difficulty in these cases.  

The project aims to provide a series of workshops over the next year to bring a range of stakeholders together to understand the issues that women and girls face and how these are amplified for minority populations when seeking support and access to policing and justice. The project will be used to develop a research-led framework for professionals and policymakers in this field. 

Tackling a complex issue 

Dr Ching-Yu Huang, who is co-leading the project, said: “Violence against women and girls is a complex issue to tackle, especially when ethnic minorities are involved. This project will bring together multidisciplinary academic experts to work with legal and health care professionals to tackle this complex issue.”   

KPAC’s Director Professor Clifford Stott added: “KPAC and KISI have worked hard to make this project a reality and we look forward to hosting professionals working in this area over the coming year. Our goal is to bring together the University’s expertise and engage with policing partners and other organisations to help address this important issue.”