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Welcome to the festive edition from the Public Protection Partnership.
This month we share highlights from the 16 Days of Activism programme in Dumfries and Galloway.
If you’d like to learn more or contribute to a future edition, please get in touch using the contact details at the end of this newsletter.
16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness Across Dumfries and Galloway
The 16 Days of Activism campaign to eliminate violence against women is an international initiative that runs from 25 November to 10 December. In Dumfries and Galloway, we delivered a programme of events and messages to raise awareness and understanding of all forms of violence against women.
For the first time, two Reclaim the Night marches were held on 26 November in Dumfries and Stranraer. Around 200 people attended in Dumfries and more than 100 in Stranraer. These marches were organised by a working group including colleagues from the council’s Youth Work Services (including the Young Women’s Network), Wigtownshire Women’s Aid, Dumfries and Galloway Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Support Centre and members of the 16 Days working group.
The aim was to highlight that women and girls should be able to walk safely at night without fear of assault or intimidation. Reclaim the Night marches began in the 1970s during the Yorkshire Ripper case and now take place in many areas. Both local marches featured speakers and musical performances, including the Samba Sisters and Singergy Choir in Dumfries. Attendees described the events as a success and hope they will become an annual feature of the campaign.
A domestic abuse conference was held on 2 December, focusing on recent developments such as the homicide timeline (presented by internationally recognised expert Jane Monckton Smith), Safe and Together, the Caledonian System, non-fatal strangulation, and the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland.
Other sessions included:
- A taster of the “Own My Life” programme for professionals, offered by Wigtownshire Women’s Aid.
- Trafficking awareness.
- Domestic Abuse and DASH RIC training.
- A course on incels and the manosphere facilitated by Rape Crisis, sharing findings from local research involving 831 young people on their views about consent.
The recent session on increasing understanding of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls with Myra Ross and Kim Irving was well attended and generated discussion on how to take action if you know someone may be experiencing abuse.
Plans for the 2026 campaign will begin in January. If you have ideas for next year’s programme, please email PublicProtectionTraining@dumgal.gov.uk.
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Moffat Academy Marks 16 Days of Activism
Moffat Academy pupils led an assembly on Wednesday 26 November to mark the 16 Days of Activism campaign. The school highlights the campaign each year, and this year’s theme focused on digital violence.
Members of the Equalities Committee, supported by the wider school community, spoke about gender-based violence, how to recognise it, and its impact on women and men. They also shared findings from the school’s June 2025 Equally Safe at School survey to connect the issue to the experiences of their own community.
The students guided their peers through a sensitive subject with care, underlining the importance of addressing a problem that affects people across society.
To show its support publicly, the school lit its campus in orange throughout the campaign period, helping raise awareness across the wider community.
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Looking After Yourself During the Festive Season
As the cold weather sets in, it is important to take care of yourself and others during the festive period. The Public Protection website is a helpful resource if you need advice on staying safe and supporting those around you.
You will find information on:
- Getting help if you are being harmed.
- Financial harm.
- Support for domestic abuse.
- Spotting the signs of an adult at risk of harm.
- Reporting a concern about a child.
Public Protection Week 2026: Bookings Now Open
Public Protection Week 2026 will take place from Monday 23 February to Friday 27 February. Bookings are now open.
The week will bring together partner organisations from across the region to engage with the community, share learning and strengthen collective efforts to improve public protection. A full programme of online events will feature speakers from across the sector, offering insight, discussion and opportunities to build understanding of public protection in Dumfries and Galloway.
Online events include:
- Missing People Protocol in Dumfries and Galloway.
- Contextual safeguarding.
- Financial harm awareness raising.
- Suicide Prevention workshop.
- Infant mental health: trauma in our most vulnerable population.
- Home fire safety visit awareness session.
In-person event:
- Visit and tour of change mental health (three locations available; each visit can accommodate up to ten people).
Further details and booking information are available online.
Help and Support Is Always Here – Even During the Festive Season
Dumfries and Galloway Council wants you to know that support doesn’t stop for the holidays. If you need help with social work or housing, we’re here for you.
You can always get support by calling 030 33 33 3001.
- During office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), you’ll reach the Social Work team.
- Outwith these hours, including public holidays, the Social Work Out-of-Hours team answers the same number and will help with urgent needs.
The out of hours service is for situations that can’t wait until the next working day, such as: child protection concerns, adult support and protection, mental health issues, emergency food parcels, help for vulnerable families fleeing domestic abuse, homeless accommodation requests, support for pets when someone is admitted to hospital and advice or referrals to other services.
Please note: From 4am to 8am each day, the Out of Hours team operates a standby service for emergencies.
Housing Options and Homeless Service
Our Housing Options and Homeless service will be closed on:
- Thursday 25 December 2025
- Friday 26 December 2025
- Thursday 1 January 2026
- Friday 2 January 2026
If you need housing advice or emergency accommodation during these dates:
- Call 030 33 33 3001 any time – day or night, even on Christmas and New Year.
- Our Out-of-Hours team will make sure you get the help you need.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Public Protection Team. We hope you have enjoyed reading our newsletters this year and we look forward to sharing more.
 Do you have a news story that you think would be great for our next newsletter?
Any queries relating to any of the content you have read today?
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