Campaigner Claire Throssell MBE supports new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy created by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner

A mother whose sons were killed by an abusive ex-husband has backed a new campaign that aims to help put an end to violence against women and girls.

Campaigner Claire Throssell MBE gave her support to the project that is bringing agencies across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire together to create a Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

The plan will set out how partners can work together to create a shift in thinking over the next five years to ensure more perpetrators are brought to justice.

The strategy is being co-created and co-owned by the office of the police and crime commissioner for Nottinghamshire.

It is being co-created by the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, local councils and domestic and sexual violence support practitioners.

Consultation is ongoing and people are being urged to have their say.

Claire lost her two young sons, Jack and Paul, in a fire at their family home in Penistone, South Yorkshire, in October 2014.

Claire’s ex-husband and father of the boys, Darren Sykes, lured the boys to the attic and lit 14 fires downstairs that also killed him.

The incident came after the family courts granted him unsupervised access despite Claire’s warning that he was dangerous after she endured years of physical and emotional abuse.

Claire, a Women’s Aid ambassador, said the partnership work happening in Nottinghamshire, including the new strategy and the new Women’s and Children’s Centre, showed a commitment to positive change.

“It’s everyone’s business. Everybody can make a difference. It is encouraging people to have confidence to call it out among their friends and family,” she said.

“The more we talk about it the less power perpetrators have. Their biggest power is isolation.

“The worst thing for me is the boys were taken. He only took their lives to punish me. I have to live with that.

“I promised both my boys as I held them as they died that no child should have to die at the hands of their parents.”

The announcement of the scheme was part of a joint launch event, as Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid officially opened a new Women’s and Children’s Centre in Mansfield today.

Claire, 51, has been campaigning tirelessly ever since to stop unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic abuse.

She said she didn’t feel supported by the criminal justice system and that various agencies had missed chances to step in and help prevent the tragedy.

“All too often we don’t join up the dots. There’s not enough proactive thinking and preventative working,” she said.

“If this strategy can bring people together and unite them to fully support the victim instead of dealing with the needs of a narcissist perpetrator then it will help get the message out that absolutely nobody should have to live in fear and oppression.

“It needs joined up working, sharing of information and connecting up all the dots.

“You are investing in the future. These next generations are going to be leading the country. This is an opportunity to get it right.”

Claire added that she was proud to support the new Women’s and Children’s Centre.

“It is so important to have somewhere like this where people can talk about their fears and be among other women who have been through the same or similar situations and think ‘it isn’t just me that it has happened to – there are other people out there’.

“It is vital they don’t feel invisible. To have that space for them to feel valuable and supported it will give them that stepping stone to recovery.”

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “Claire’s story is absolutely heart-breaking and, sadly, she is not alone.

“Women and girls across the country are disproportionately affected by violence in its many forms and it’s time for it to stop.

“It is an issue I feel incredibly passionate about because it can have such a huge ripple effect on families and communities. We all need to stand up for our mothers, sisters and daughters and say enough is enough.”

Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid is looking to provide free courses for women and children throughout the year.

The non-profit organisation will be consulting with the community to ensure it is providing the appropriate programmes.

Mrs Henry added: “The drive comes from us knowing what we can deliver and what opportunities this will bring.

“We feel that women and children need to have a safe, welcoming and empowering space to explore their own personal experiences.

“We look forward to meeting and supporting more women and children in our safe community setting.”