The Pineapple Project launches to provide safe havens for young women and girls

A new project has been launched in Weymouth which will help to keep young women safer when they are outside of their family home.

The Pineapple Project uses the principles of community guardianship to give young women a safe haven when things don’t go to plan, perhaps by stepping into a local shop where they can charge their phone or put some distance between them and the person who is bothering them.

The mantra of the project is that all young women should feel safe in the communities where they live, they should be given the opportunity to understand their right to safety and they should be able to seek the right support at the right time.

The businesses which are taking part will be able to recognize signs that could mean that a young woman is at risk of harm and know how to offer help. They also have a toolkit which they can refer to.

Hazel Ridge from Bassetts Londis on Westham Road said:

‘I think this is a really good idea because so many girls hang around town and we are in a perfect position to help with our location on the seafront. Because we’re a shop, lots of young girls come in anyway and all our staff are young and approachable so it’s a bit like talking to one of your peers.

‘Any girl should feel comfortable going anywhere. It’s good for someone vulnerable to have somewhere to go if something is happening, not because it happens.’

The project, led by targeted youth work and children’s social care from Chesil locality, is a collaboration between Dorset Council, Dorset Police, Weymouth College, Targeted Sexual Health Service and the young women themselves. It forms part of a wider initiative -Chesil Hidden Girls – to promote safety for young women in Weymouth and Portland.

Inspector David Parr from Dorset Police said:

‘Our vision for Dorset is a safe county for everyone and this project will really help to make that vision a reality. We’ve been working closely with the community guardians to make sure they have the necessary knowledge, for example about county lines and the gangs that operate them, as well as the equipment to carry out the role and we will be alongside them every step of the way on this project.’

Estimates from the year ending March 2020 show that:

• Around 1 in 5 women aged 16 to 74 are victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime
• Over 27% of women aged 16 to 74 had experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16
• 20% of women aged 16-74 had experienced stalking since the age of 16

(UK Gov 2020)

Cllr Andrew Parry, portfolio holder for children, education and early help, said:

‘Violence and exploitation of women and girls is a national issue, so we are not saying that Weymouth is a particularly dangerous area. In fact, Dorset is ranked the sixth safest place to live and I want it to carry on being a really safe county.

‘But we need to find ways of making sure that young women and girls have as much support as they can so they feel safe going out in the area they live in. They should not have to limit the times that they go out or the places they go to because of how they are treated by other people. It’s about calling out bad behaviour and giving the girls a safe haven if things don’t quite go to plan.

‘I hope that if we get it right here it will ripple across the country and maybe even across the globe.’

Following the launch, the team will be promoting the project to young women in Weymouth but will also be educating all young people within schools around their right to safety.

The team will use the experience of how the project works in practice to further improve it and will ask all those signed up as community guardians to promote the project.

Although this is a pilot in Weymouth the team is hoping to expand a similar model to Portland and look at how it could be adapted to encompass mobile community guardians for when young girls are out and about.