Event to explore collective action on violence against women and girls

Community, Connection and Collaboration: Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls will be hosted by the Romanian Consulate General in London on 2 December 2026, marking the end of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The event comes 10 years after Nicola and Gudrun completed their own Fellowships, which explored support for financial abuse and housing responses to domestic abuse respectively. Since then, the community of Churchill Fellows working on VAWG has grown to around 50 people.

The conference will bring Fellows together with others working across the sector to share learning, make connections, and explore opportunities for collaboration. It will also consider how their work has informed, aligns with, and could build on the cross-government VAWG strategy published in December 2025.

The programme will include a conversation with JoJo Kirtley, a 2026 Churchill Fellow who travelled to Bucharest and spent time with Roma feminist theatre-maker Mihaela Drăgan. This will be followed by a theatre performance setting the scene for the day. Keynote speakers will include Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales.

Thanks to the generous support of the Romanian Consulate General and the Churchill Fellowship, the event is free to attend. A limited number of travel bursaries are available for people who would otherwise be unable to take part.

To attend, please RSVP to nicola@allthingseconomicabuse.com by 31 October, indicating whether you would like to request support with travel and including details of any access or dietary requirements.

Ahead of the conference, attendees will be asked to complete a two-page summary of their learning in relation to the VAWG strategy. Nicola and Gudrun will use these contributions to shape meaningful breakout discussions, and the learning shared will be brought together in a final conference report.