Council Supports 'No Grey Zone' Campaign
March 21, 2019
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in partnership with the local Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) is taking forward the promotion of the ‘No Grey Zone’ campaign following a Notice of Motion agreed at a Council meeting.
The Notice of Motion, which was proposed by Councillor Aaron McIntyre resolved that everyone across the Council area should feel supported and empowered to speak out when a sexual assault occurs and accordingly declared all premises operated by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to be a ‘No Grey Zone.’
‘No Grey Zone’ aims to raise awareness of what sexual assault is and what sexual consent is. The campaign wants to equip society, and in particular young people, with the knowledge and skills that will help to empower and safeguard them. As part of the campaign, there is a No Grey Zone website – www.nogreyzone.com which is available to everyone to learn more about sexual assault and sexual consent, to find the truth about myths around sexual assault and to easily access information about support. The campaign is specifically aimed at the target audience of 16 to 28 year olds and uses clear language to give examples of sexual assault and brings the topic into the open in an unapologetic way.
Speaking about the Notice of Motion, Councillor McIntyre, PCSP Member said “This campaign is so important to raise awareness around sexual assault and to educate young people about sexual consent particularly the types of behaviour that would be treated as sexual assault unless consent was granted. It underpins the message that full consent must be obtained before any form of sexual contact is made.
The number of sexual assaults reported to the PSNI has increased both at a local level and regionally which is extremely positive and shows people are confident to come forward and report what had happened to them, whether it was a historical case or a recent crime.
Councillor McIntyre continued “Under-reporting still remains a major issue and the Council and PCSP hopes that this campaign will highlight the importance of coming forward to police or another agency to tell what has happened to them.”
The Chairman of the Lisburn & Castlereagh PCSP, Councillor Brian Hanvey commented, “As a PCSP we are pleased to support this campaign and just this week received a presentation from the PSNI’s Public Protection Unit to inform us of the vital work which they do and how we can support this campaign. In the coming weeks, a focus group will take place with students from the local college to discuss the main elements of the campaign and explain what it is about in an attempt to break the silence on sexual violence. The PCSP continues to support the employment of a Domestic Violence Liaison Officer based at Lisburn police station and this has been an invaluable service to many women and children across our district.”