Southwark Council has launched a new service offering specialist support for anyone who’s experienced abuse or harassment.
The Women’s Safety Alliance (WSA) is a replacement and extension of Southwark’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) service, and provides support for issues including domestic abuse, stalking, harassment, forced marriage and sexual exploitation. It is available to anyone living in Southwark, including men and boys.
Southwark Council is working with a number of local organisations including Southwark Law Centre, Citizens Advice Southwark, Lives Not Knives and 1st Place Children and Parents’ Centre to deliver the service, which officially launched this month.
The new service, which is offered in a new purpose-built centre available only to those in need, brings together various services, including legal, housing and therapeutic support without the need to redirect victims and survivors to various agencies.
Cllr Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhoods, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Anybody who needs to access the service won’t be bounced around having to repeat the same information. It’s a trauma-informed service where from the start of the journey, it’s needs led and it’s specific to that individual.
“It’s in recognition that women shouldn’t have to bounce around within the council or with external partners repeating themselves. So that’s a really, really transformative element of the service.”
She added: “WSA recognises that women alone can’t be responsible for tackling Violence Against Women and Girls [VAWG]. It’s something that we all have to work on.
“That’s why our Stand With Her campaign is still as valid as it was last year. It’s about that male allyship and making sure that men are speaking out against this behaviour of sexual harassment and online harms, and we want everybody to be part of that campaign.”
Relatedarticles
Cllr Ennin said the service was launched after data from the council’s annual Women and Girls’ Safety Survey showed there had been a rise in public space crimes that were affecting women across Southwark.
She explained that the council wanted to create a dedicated service that allows those at risk or those who have been affected by harassment, sexual violence, coercion, intimidation and online harms, to come and talk about these types of offences using the service.
Those who use the service at the centre have access to wellness and recovery services including counselling, therapy and substance misuse support. The centre also features safe consultation rooms for private appointments, safeguarding assessments and one-to-one support.
Service users also have access to specialist legal advice on injunctions and non-molestation orders, as well as help navigating the justice system. There are also community engagement spaces available, including for workshops, confidence building sessions and skills development.
The council has said the new service has been introduced at a crucial time, with national data showing demand for specialist support services is increasing.
According to a recent Office for National Statistics survey, an estimated 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025.
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said WSA is an important new service, and makes it easier for victims and survivors to get tailored support.
Comer-Schwartz added: “The Mayor and I continue to prioritise preventing and reducing VAWG in London, as well as ensuring that victims and survivors have the support they need, and I look forward to seeing the success of Southwark’s service as we build a safer London for everyone.”
The WSA team can be reached by phone on 020 7232 0860 or email at [email protected]. All conversations are confidential. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999.
