Last year, supporters took the safeguarding campaign's messages to the Caribbean, and this time Orange Wolverhampton headed for South Africa.
Steve Dodd, from Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together, visited Cape Town last month for an international learning event organised by Comic Relief – and was quick to spread the word about the campaign to end 'interpersonal violence', including domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, so-called ‘honour based’ violence, sexual violence and stalking and harassment.
Steve, Chair of the Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together Community Engagement Sub-group, said: "Orange Wolverhampton is held every year in support of the United Nations' Orange The World campaign to end violence against women and girls, and taking the messages from our campaign with me to South Africa was too big an opportunity to miss.
“But the campaign didn't just stay in Cape Town; I met representatives from organisations across the globe who pledged to take the Orange The World campaign home with them to places as far afield as Bogota, the capital of Colombia."
Meanwhile, residents, businesses, schools, faith groups, charities and other organisations back home in Wolverhampton are once more being encouraged to turn the city orange between 25 November and 10 December.
In doing so, they will not only help raise awareness of Wolverhampton’s drive to end interpersonal violence, but also highlight the help and support that is available to victims from local and national organisations such as The Haven, Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum, St George's Hub, the West Midlands Forced Marriage and Honour-Based Violence Helpline and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
Over 100 organisations took part in 2018's campaign, holding wear orange days, turning their websites and social media channels orange, sharing key messages about the campaign with staff, customers and service users, staging orange marches, organising orange cake sales or coffee mornings, lighting their buildings orange, flying orange flags and much more.
Thousands of people also showed their support by wearing orange ribbons throughout the 16-day campaign, coordinated by Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together, the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
Kathy Cole-Evans, Chief Officer of Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum, said: "The colour orange symbolises a brighter future and a world free from interpersonal violence, and the Orange Wolverhampton campaign is an important part of our work to make sure victims know how to get the help and support they need.
"We want to make this year's campaign the best ever – and this is your chance to get involved. There are so many things you can do, big and small, all of which will help raise awareness of these issues."
For more information and to sign up to this year’s campaign, please visit the Orange Wolverhampton website.
Key dates include Wear Orange Day on Friday 6 December, when people are encouraged to wear orange clothing, and the return of the Orange Wolverhampton pop up shop in the Wulfrun Centre on Monday and Tuesday 25 and 26 November, at which people will be able to find out more about the campaign and the help and support available locally.
Anyone suffering from domestic violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, so-called ‘honour-based’ violence or sexual violence, or knows someone who is, should call the relevant helpline:
- The Haven Wolverhampton 24-hour helpline for women - 08000 194400
- Haven Counselling helpline - 08000 308 345 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 2pm)
- Haven online Live Chat (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
- St George’s Hub support for male victims - 01902 421904
- Karma Nirvana helpline for victims of so-called ‘honour based’ violence and forced marriage - 0800 5999 247
- Wolverhampton Adult Social Care - 01902 551199
- Wolverhampton Children's Social Care - 01902 555392
- West Midlands Forced Marriage and Honour-Based Violence Helpline - 0800 953 9777
- National Domestic Violence helpline for women - 0808 2000 247
- National Domestic Violence helpline for men - 0808 8010327
- NSPCC Female Genital Mutilation helpline - 0800 028 3550
- For more detailed local information please visit Wolverhampton Safeguarding.
In an emergency, always call police on 999.
