Latest news with #AmyGlover
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Restriction zones for domestic abusers ‘a long time coming'
Ministers will seek to introduce 'restriction zones' that will limit where abusers can go, aiming to allow survivors to go about their daily lives without fear of seeing their offender. Sexual and violent offenders could be restricted to certain locations and tracked with technology, and would face jail time for breaching the conditions under new proposals. Until now exclusion zones exist to stop perpetrators from going to where their victims live. Mother-of-two and survivor Leanne said she was 'ecstatic' about the move, adding: 'I hope change is actually going to happen, and it's not just pillow talk, but if it happens, then, yeah, it's a long time coming.' She said from her experience she would have asked for restriction zones at the school where she would take her children, her local supermarket or near her family's homes. 'These are places where I was confronted, even when he had restraining orders,' the 54-year-old told the PA news agency. 'If I could say those places, and I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected. I've been listened to.' But she called for ministers to listen to survivors more, adding of the Government approach: 'So far, I'm loving what I'm hearing. 'Would I put a lot of faith in it? Probably not, because I don't like being let down, and I've been let down by previous governments. 'So we can only have hope.' Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones with Christine Losecaat (right), chair of the Board of Trustees at Advance, and Amy Glover (left), director of domestic abuse service at Advance (Ben Whitley/PA) The measure comes as the Government plans to overhaul the prison system to curb overcrowding, which could see violent and sexual offenders released from jail earlier, and for more criminals to serve sentences in the community. Tens of thousands of offenders would be tagged, prompting concerns from the victims' commissioner for England and Wales over the Probation Service's ability to cope with rising numbers. The Government has announced £700 million of funding until 2028/29 for the Probation Service to back up its reforms, as well as recruiting 1,300 new probation officers by March 2026. For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators, and will carry out detailed risk assessments. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at charity Advance in London on Friday. The victims minister said perpetrators will be GPS monitored to have real-time data about where they are going, and will be subject to 'virtual boundaries' which if breached could mean they go to prison. She said: 'We're putting really strong safeguards attached to these so that we can give victims and survivors the confidence to carry on with their everyday lives. 'We're going to be outlining more details on this as well as we're bringing in the legislation in the autumn.' Speaking at one of Advance's women's centres, director Amy Glover told PA the domestic abuse charity wants to see what the monitoring processes are, and how quickly a probation officer would intervene if a perpetrator was breaching conditions or doing something unsafe. 'What we can sometimes find when new safety measures are introduced for victim survivors, if they don't work all the time, then they can actually create a false sense of security,' she said. 'So we're just really interested to hear a bit more about how they will be rolled out and how we can ensure they're working effectively.' But of the measure, she added the reaction is 'largely positive' as it flips the current responsibility on survivors on deciding to leave their safe, small exclusion zone area, to perpetrators having more restrictions. 'The aim of these restriction zones, which we really welcome, is to flip that so now he may have a smaller area of movement. She is able to go about her daily life more.' The charity hosted the justice minister for a round table discussion about the issue, joined by survivors and reality star and campaigner Georgia Harrison. Georgia Harrison during her visit to domestic abuse charity Advance in Hammersmith, London (Ben Whitley/PA) The Love Island star, who campaigns on violence against women and girls after becoming a victim of revenge porn, backed the plan for restriction zones for offenders if implemented correctly. 'Why on earth should a survivor have to pick an area and stay there for the rest of their life?' she said. 'It makes so much more sense that a perpetrator will be subjected to a restriction zone and a survivor can go wherever they want and feel safe. 'If implemented correctly, it could just mean that not only are they actually physically safe, but they can live every single day feeling safe.' The Refuge ambassador said that knowing your perpetrator is tagged and they are being monitored is the 'best way possible' if prisons are overcrowded to figure out what works outside of jails. 'This does seem like a really good answer to one of those issues,' she said. Ms Harrison also pressed the case for social media platforms to be helping and held accountable for needing to do more to prevent abuse online, which also affects victims of domestic abuse. Ms Davies-Jones said: 'As the victims minister, I get to meet with victims and survivors every single day who have been through the unimaginable, and I want to hear their experiences directly and learn from them so that we can make the system better for them, and finally put them back at the heart of the justice system.'
Western Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Restriction zones for domestic abusers ‘a long time coming'
Ministers will seek to introduce 'restriction zones' that will limit where abusers can go, aiming to allow survivors to go about their daily lives without fear of seeing their offender. Sexual and violent offenders could be restricted to certain locations and tracked with technology, and would face jail time for breaching the conditions under new proposals. Until now exclusion zones exist to stop perpetrators from going to where their victims live. Mother-of-two and survivor Leanne said she was 'ecstatic' about the move, adding: 'I hope change is actually going to happen, and it's not just pillow talk, but if it happens, then, yeah, it's a long time coming.' She said from her experience she would have asked for restriction zones at the school where she would take her children, her local supermarket or near her family's homes. 'These are places where I was confronted, even when he had restraining orders,' the 54-year-old told the PA news agency. 'If I could say those places, and I knew I could go to those places safely, happy days, I'm protected. I've been listened to.' But she called for ministers to listen to survivors more, adding of the Government approach: 'So far, I'm loving what I'm hearing. 'Would I put a lot of faith in it? Probably not, because I don't like being let down, and I've been let down by previous governments. 'So we can only have hope.' Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones with Christine Losecaat (right), chair of the Board of Trustees at Advance, and Amy Glover (left), director of domestic abuse service at Advance (Ben Whitley/PA) The measure comes as the Government plans to overhaul the prison system to curb overcrowding, which could see violent and sexual offenders released from jail earlier, and for more criminals to serve sentences in the community. Tens of thousands of offenders would be tagged, prompting concerns from the victims' commissioner for England and Wales over the Probation Service's ability to cope with rising numbers. The Government has announced £700 million of funding until 2028/29 for the Probation Service to back up its reforms, as well as recruiting 1,300 new probation officers by March 2026. For the new restriction zones, probation officers will work with survivors to decide on banned locations for perpetrators, and will carry out detailed risk assessments. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones announced the new measure at charity Advance in London on Friday. The victims minister said perpetrators will be GPS monitored to have real-time data about where they are going, and will be subject to 'virtual boundaries' which if breached could mean they go to prison. She said: 'We're putting really strong safeguards attached to these so that we can give victims and survivors the confidence to carry on with their everyday lives. 'We're going to be outlining more details on this as well as we're bringing in the legislation in the autumn.' Speaking at one of Advance's women's centres, director Amy Glover told PA the domestic abuse charity wants to see what the monitoring processes are, and how quickly a probation officer would intervene if a perpetrator was breaching conditions or doing something unsafe. 'What we can sometimes find when new safety measures are introduced for victim survivors, if they don't work all the time, then they can actually create a false sense of security,' she said. 'So we're just really interested to hear a bit more about how they will be rolled out and how we can ensure they're working effectively.' But of the measure, she added the reaction is 'largely positive' as it flips the current responsibility on survivors on deciding to leave their safe, small exclusion zone area, to perpetrators having more restrictions. 'The aim of these restriction zones, which we really welcome, is to flip that so now he may have a smaller area of movement. She is able to go about her daily life more.' The charity hosted the justice minister for a round table discussion about the issue, joined by survivors and reality star and campaigner Georgia Harrison. Georgia Harrison during her visit to domestic abuse charity Advance in Hammersmith, London (Ben Whitley/PA) The Love Island star, who campaigns on violence against women and girls after becoming a victim of revenge porn, backed the plan for restriction zones for offenders if implemented correctly. 'Why on earth should a survivor have to pick an area and stay there for the rest of their life?' she said. 'It makes so much more sense that a perpetrator will be subjected to a restriction zone and a survivor can go wherever they want and feel safe. 'If implemented correctly, it could just mean that not only are they actually physically safe, but they can live every single day feeling safe.' The Refuge ambassador said that knowing your perpetrator is tagged and they are being monitored is the 'best way possible' if prisons are overcrowded to figure out what works outside of jails. 'This does seem like a really good answer to one of those issues,' she said. Ms Harrison also pressed the case for social media platforms to be helping and held accountable for needing to do more to prevent abuse online, which also affects victims of domestic abuse. Ms Davies-Jones said: 'As the victims minister, I get to meet with victims and survivors every single day who have been through the unimaginable, and I want to hear their experiences directly and learn from them so that we can make the system better for them, and finally put them back at the heart of the justice system.'
Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Woman ditches 10,000 steps a day for Japanese walking and has never been fitter
Japanese walking, also known as the '3-3 walking workout', was developed by two professors in Japan and offers a different approach to step counting and fitness In today's world, the obsession with counting steps has become more prevalent than ever. With our smartphones and wearable tech tracking every move we make - from the number of stairs we climb to the calories we burn - the once niche practice of step counting has now become a part of our daily routines. However, while many are striving to hit their target of 10,000 or even 20,000 steps a day, others are choosing to step away from this trend and explore new methods. Amy Glover, a writer for HuffPost UK, shared her personal experience. Despite being an avid runner and frequent gym visitor, she found it challenging to consistently reach the 10k daily step goal. The demands of working from home made it even more difficult to fit in long walks after work or during lunch breaks. But everything changed when Glover stumbled upon the Japanese walking trend, also known as the '3-3 walking workout. ', reports the Express. This method, developed by Professor Hiroshi Nose and Associate Professor Shizue Masuki at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, applies the principles of interval training to everyday walking. Unlike traditional step goals that focus solely on distance, the Japanese walking method emphasises intensity and structure. The routine is straightforward - walk briskly for three minutes, then slow down for three minutes. This cycle is repeated five times, totalling 30 minutes. The approach isn't just about quantity but about varying pace and effort in a way that maximises cardiovascular benefit. A groundbreaking study conducted in 2007 by the creators of the method found that middle-aged participants who adopted the Japanese walking technique saw a decrease in blood pressure, stronger thigh muscles and improved aerobic capacity compared to those who didn't walk or walked at a moderate pace for similar durations. For Glover - and many others - the attraction is both efficiency and enjoyment. After taking up Japanese walking, her average daily step count actually increased to over 8,000 despite spending less time on her feet. She notes that the interval structure makes walks feel shorter and more engaging; knowing a session will last just half an hour removes mental barriers to getting started. The psychological shift is significant: "I walk more often and enjoy it more," says Glover. "The three-minute-on, three-minute-off approach makes exercise go by much faster." Scientific research indicates that any form of consistent moderate-intensity walking can offer substantial benefits for cardiovascular and mental health, and regular movement helps maintain a healthy weight while strengthening muscles and bones - a crucial factor in preventing osteoporosis and preserving mobility as we age. While many fitness fads come and go, Japanese walking's blend of scientific backing and real-world accessibility suggests it may have lasting appeal. For those who find traditional step goals challenging or are looking for a more effective way to maintain their health, particularly during hectic work-from-home routines, this approach provides a feasible route to enhanced wellbeing.
