Tackling violence against women and girls with sport

Left to right: Katy Taylor- Former Bristol Women’s Voice CEO, Courteny Young- Formally at Empire fighting chance now at LPW, Jade Hamilton SARSAS, Heather Jury , Strategic Lead for Health & Physical Activity, Wesport

Violence against women and girls is on the increase, but here in the West of England, work is ongoing to proactively tackle the issue. Heather Jury, Strategic Lead for Physical Activity, West of England Sport Trust (Wesport) outlines a collaborative new project happening in our community this year that centres around physical activity to bring the message home to young people.

At least one in 12 women experience some form of violence or abuse every year in the UK according to the Office for National Statistics. Those are just the cases that are reported, as we know that so many aren’t, the real figure could be much higher.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a growing concern in Bristol, reflecting national trends and the UK government’s focus on prevention, early intervention and behavior change.

Police-recorded domestic abuse has risen, with women disproportionately affected, particularly in more deprived communities. These harms intersect with youth violence, mental ill-health, exploitation and online abuse, undermining wellbeing, education and trust in public services.

Adolescence is a critical period when attitudes to gender, consent and relationships are formed. However, current prevention efforts face key challenges:

• Provision is fragmented and inconsistent, limiting collective impact.

• Schools and services are overstretched, often relying on one-off interventions.

• Workforce confidence varies, particularly in addressing sensitive issues such as misogyny and harmful behaviours.

• Cultural, peer and online influences can undermine positive messaging.

While Bristol has strong activity, insight and committed organisations working in this space, impact is currently limited by a lack of coordination, consistency and shared approach across the system.

Sport and physical activity provide trusted spaces, regular engagement and access to influential role models – but they are not a standalone solution. Their value lies in acting as a consistent environment where behaviours, norms and relationships can be shaped and reinforced over time, alongside education and wider support.

The challenge is to move from disconnected activity to a coordinated, place-based approach that aligns education, sport, health, justice and community partners, ensuring every young person can build healthy relationships and live free from harm.

The opportunity

In 2024, police leaders declared VAWG a national emergency, followed by the publication of the government’s cross-departmental strategy Freedom from Violence and Abuse: A Safer Society for Women and Girls (2025).

The strategy emphasizes prevention, early intervention and community-led behaviour change, highlighting the role of education, sport and youth settings in shaping healthy relationships.

Locally, there is clear momentum. Partners across Bristol are already engaging in this agenda, with increasing appetite for collaboration and alignment.

This creates a timely opportunity to:

• Connect and strengthen existing activity rather than duplicate it.

• Build a more confident and capable workforce across sport, education and community settings.

• Develop consistent messaging and approaches across environments that young people move through.

• Embed youth voice at the centre of understanding, design and decision-making

• Position Bristol as a leading city in coordinated, place-based VAWG prevention.

Wesport is well placed to support this as a neutral convener and system connector, linking partners across sectors and translating national policy into local action.

Violence Against Women and Girls Project

We’ve already embarked on a project to capitalize on this momentum and enact effective change in our community. This project takes a coordinated, evidence-informed and youth-led approach to preventing VAWG that:

• Aligns partners around shared goals and consistent approaches.

• Strengthens workforce capability and confidence.

• Embeds youth voice into decision-making at scale.

• Improves consistency of messaging and experience across the environments young people move through.

• Creates a platform for sustained investment and long-term impact.

Alongside the Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner and with support from 224 Youth Zone, we’re working on an innovative new project that will use sport and physical activity to tackle this issue. Local partners include:

• Bristol Rovers

• Young Bristol

• Alliance of Sport

• University of Bristol

• Girlhood Reclaimed

• Empire Fighting Chance

• Bristol City Robins

• Police and Crime Commissioners

• Trojan

• Everyone Active

In addition, young people in our community will be actively involved in its development, to ensure it remains relevant, engaging and addresses the issues that most affect them.

The next steps for the project will be guided by the outcome of these conversations. We aim to take a truly collaborative and youth led approach that will engage young people right from the start.

We’ll have more to share in the coming months, but we’re very excited to see where this will lead.