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Uni course aims to tackle violence against women

Gemma Dunstan
BBC News
BBC reporter Gemma Dunstan tried out a virtual reality headset that simulates a police officer at a domestic violence incident

A new university course, the first of its kind in Wales, will use virtual reality in an effort to tackle violence against women.

VR headsets are one project which will be developed by Swansea University's masters in gender, power and violence, which starts in September.

It is estimated about 3,000 crimes of violence against women and girls are recorded in Wales and England each day.

Johanna Robinson, Wales' national adviser on violence against women and girls, welcomed the course, adding: "The dynamics of abuse are layered and complex and it is vitally important that people working with victims and survivors are fully informed."

The National Police Chiefs Council have declared violence against women and girls a "national emergency" while the World Health Organization called it a global public health pandemic.

Senior lecturer Kelly Buckley, one of those behind the course's creation, said public conversation on the issue had "never been louder" and the university hoped to ensure "we use knowledge and evidence and theory and data to make sure we're responding in the right way".

It is hoped the VR headsets project on the course could be used by student police officers during training.

By hearing a victim's story in this way, the idea is it would make them conscious about subtleties such as body language and how they respond, which can influence a survivor's willingness to talk openly.

Megan Salter, who helped develop the project, said VR did a "really good job" of allowing trainees to experience "what it might be like to respond to a domestic violence case but in a safe environment".

The 21-year-old post-graduate student has been working with trainee police officers on the VR tool to ensure responses to victims are conducive to tackling the problem.

Woman with blonde hair and glasses faces the camera smiling. She's wearing a blue cardigan and holding a VR headset. She's standing in a University classroom.
Post graduate student Megan Salter has helped develop the virtual reality headset that focuses on interactions with victims of abuse informed by real life experiences

VR scenarios have all been created based on experiences and input from survivors of abuse or assault.

"It helps people notice things that they wouldn't want to happen, both from the victim's point of view and the police officers," added Ms Salter.

Swansea University has worked with Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre, Dyfed-Powys Police and Aberystwyth University to create the headsets that will be developed on the new degree.

Woman with blonde hair and blue eyes smiles at the camera. She is wearing a blue dress with a leopard print pattern on it. She is stood in front of a large book case full of books.
Kelly Buckley says her new master's degree in gender violence course will shine a light on new and emerging forms of abuse like deep fakes and image-based sexual abuse

Ms Buckley wants students on the course to help develop projects that have practical applications and real-world impact.

The UK government has pledged to halve incidents of violence against women and girls within a decade and was one of Labour's top general election pledges.

Ms Robinson, the Welsh government's national advisor, said: "The virtual reality tool is an excellent way of raising awareness and understanding."

Woman with shoulder length brown hair looks at the camera with a neutral expression. She is wearing a dark blue top.
Susie Hay says collaboration with survivors in education and policy is vital

Susie Hay is head of research and evaluation at Safe Lives and works with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse.

"There is a tapestry with lots of different threads which enable us to work towards ending domestic and sexual violence," she said.

"This course is one really valuable thread in that space, however looking at that whole picture also feels really important."

Although the number of graduates will initially be small she thinks the effects will be felt across the country through a "radiating impact".