6 days ago
Why Gloucestershire Police will no longer be using terms like 'revenge porn'
Police in Gloucestershire say they're no longer using terms like 'revenge porn' and 'groping', in an effort to reduce victim blaming and misogyny.
The force said it hopes to improve how male violence towards women and girls is communicated to the public.
It's hoped the new Words Matter reporting guidelines will place responsibility on perpetrators and improve accuracy by naming the crime that has been committed.
' A problem of epidemic proportions'
According to ONS statistics:
One in four women has been raped or sexually assaulted since the age of 16
Six in seven rapes against women are carried out by someone they know
71,227 rapes were recorded by police in England and Wales in 2024
Charges had been brought in just 2.7% of these cases by the end of the year
In 2021, Ofsted found that 9 in 10 girls and young women in schools say sexist name-calling and being sent unwanted images of a sexual nature happens to them or other girls their age.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire Chris Nelson said: "When it comes to crimes like domestic abuse, sexual assaults and many others, it is a statistical fact that men are the main perpetrators and women the main victims.
"Anyone can be abused, but the misogynistic abuse women and girls face every day has become normalised in our society. It is a problem of epidemic proportions."
What changes can you expect to see?
Gloucestershire Police's Violence Against Women and Girls lead, Detective Chief Superintendent Kerry Patterson, said that the new guidelines will initiate "subtle but powerful changes in the right direction".
They include advice on using active language which makes it clear that the perpetrator is responsible for their actions.
She explained: "Stating that a man raped a woman, rather than a woman was raped by a man, clearly puts the responsibility on the perpetrator, and goes towards ending victim blaming language in our communication with both the public and press."
PCC Chris Nelson added: "Women are not 'groped' in clubs, men are sexually assaulting them. Women are not 'playing hard to get', men are raping them."
The guidelines instruct to avoid euphemisms which can downplay the severity of the crime.
For example, using the term "revenge porn" to describe image-based abuse implies the person affected acted in ways that necessitate revenge.
Similarly, describing the rape or sexual abuse of a child with phrases like "man had sex with a 14-year-old" implies the child was able to consent.
What difference will this make?
Work on the Words Matter guidelines began in August 2022, and the founder of the Hollie Gazzard Trust, Nick Gazzard, was on the initial panel to advise on the project.
The trust was created after 20-year-old Hollie Gazzard was murdered by an ex-partner in 2014. A spokesperson from the trust explained that "plain and clear language" was essential in showing that decisions to commit crimes against women and girls are made by the perpetrators alone.
They said: "It's about recognising that the harm that can be done to a victim or surviver or their family is immense if you're not being as factual as possible." They added: "Hopefully, the media will take the lead from the way the police communication team deliver that information.
"Some of these worrying attitudes that the police are referring to are really hard to change but you have to start somewhere."
Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, of Gloucestershire Police and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said: "If the use of inappropriate language around women and girls continues, then there will not only be a decrease in trust and confidence, but more worryingly a further rise to the already increasing culture of misogyny being learnt across fast-moving platforms, especially among younger people.
"And if this is allowed to continue these views and opinions may manifest into more serious threats."
Co-founder and Managing Director of This Ends Now, Sydney-Anne McAllister said: "With a focus on women's safety rather than holding perpetrators to account, male violence against women and girls is generally reported on in a victim blaming and misogynistic way.
"More often than not, reports also downplay the seriousness of crimes and fail to acknowledge that male violence against women and girls is a systemic issue.
"We believe that when would-be perpetrators know their actions will no longer be excused through language and power structures, they will stop abusing women and girls. By changing how these crimes are communicated, we can hold perpetrators to account.
The Words Matter guidelines are believed to be the first of their kind in UK police communications.
You can contact their Wiltshire support line on 01225 775276 or their Devon support centre on 0345 155 1074.
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