In March 2022, Stylist Magazine brought together prominent UK-based women’s organisations—including Hull Sisters—for a vital national dialogue on addressing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
The feature focused on empowering and upskilling women from all ethnicities so they can take full control of their lives, safety, and futures. Contributing on behalf of Hull Sisters, founder Sonia Jalal highlighted the real-world impact of grassroots anti-violence campaigns:
“We have seen that campaigns against VAWG have created more awareness among women and, as a result, there has been an increase in minoritised women coming forward to report their experiences. We know that women want to educate themselves about their rights and also want to exercise their rights.”
However, the discussion also shone a spotlight on critical institutional gaps. Sonia underscored that support from statutory services like the police and social services urgently needs attention, as culturally competent support is often missing, leaving women of colour feeling misunderstood or overlooked. Furthermore, grassroots organisations representing minoritised women remain consistently underfunded, often relying heavily on dedicated volunteers to support individuals navigating deeply complex, high-risk situations.
National recognition in Stylist Magazine reinforces the necessity of frontline, specialist advocacy—ensuring that national policy debates reflect the lived realities of the women we support every day in Hull.
