UOB - VR TECHNOLOGY TO REIMAGINE APPROACHES TO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Dr Shaimaa Abdelkarim and Dr Rishika Sahgal partnered with Calico leveraging virtual reality technology to interrogate institutional responses to gender-based violence (GBV) and to reimagine a feminist city.
The VR tool offers an accessible entry point into scholarly and policy-making discussions around GBV and access to public space. It served as a generative tool to enable difficult and rich conversations with grassroots groups based in Birmingham. Overall, the workshops served as a starting point to kickstart a longer-term project on the intersection of emergent technologies and a grounded understanding of experiences of GBV and access to public space.
UOB - CAN VIRTUAL REALITY PROVIDE A NEW WAY OF TACKLING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE?
Birmingham Law School researchers Dr Shaimaa Abdelkarim and Dr Rishika Sahgal are leading a new research project to investigate how virtual reality might open up new conversations about gender-based violence (GBV) and women's experience of urban public space. The research is being delivered in partnership with Calico, a Birmingham-based social enterprise founded by University of Birmingham alumni.
Speaking on the next phase of the project, Dr Abdelkarim and Sahgal said: “We are excited to continue to explore how emerging technologies such as virtual reality open up spaces to hold difficult conversations around appropriate responses to GBV and the gendered construction of public space; and to ensure that the experiences and voices of women in the global south are an integral part of these conversations.”
EXPRESS & STAR - WOLVERHAMPTON PILOT LEADS WAY FOR NEW VR TRAINING TO IMPROVE NIGHT-TIME SAFETY
A new virtual reality (VR) training programme aimed at improving safety in the night-time economy is set to roll out more widely following a successful pilot in Wolverhampton.
Developed by Birmingham-based organisation Calico, the programme uses immersive VR technology to help staff working in pubs, bars, nightclubs and casinos better understand women’s experiences on a night out - and respond more effectively.
Following the Wolverhampton pilot, Voices in the Dark will now be rolled out to venues and partners across the UK in May 2026, supporting closer collaboration between venues, local authorities and police to improve safety across the night-time economy.
5 NEWS - WEST MIDLANDS POLICE USE VIRTUAL REALITY IN NEW RECRUIT TRAINING
West Midlands Police have started using virtual reality to let all new recruits view the world from the eyes of women travelling alone at night.
Channel 5 reporter Peter Lane went to see the project in action in the latest special 5 News report from ‘Behind the Blue Line’.
BBC - POLICE VR TRAINING HELPS FIGHT CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
Virtual reality technology is being used to train new police officers to provide an an insight into male crimes against women.
West Midlands Police has said it is the first force in the UK to partner with training provider Calico, to deliver the interactive sessions to 700 new recruits by April. Officers wear virtual reality headsets, which places them in the shoes of a woman travelling through Birmingham after dark.
WEST MIDLANDS POLICE - VIRTUAL REALITY HELPING NEW POLICE OFFICER TRAINING
We’re using the latest virtual reality technology to train new police officers and give them an insight into male crimes against women.
‘We’ve partnered with local training provider Calico, to deliver interactive sessions to all new recruits. The classes are part of a wider input on crimes such as stalking, harassment, rape and domestic abuse, where officers look at the law and actions to take when investigating these serious offences.’
WMCA - WOMEN’S NIGHT SAFETY CHARTER HOLDS SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH EVENT
Over 75 businesses have signed up to the region’s first Women’s Night Safety Charter, a new scheme aimed at protecting women out in the West Midlands at night.
The charter sets out guidance for venues, operators, charities, councils and businesses to improve safety at night for women – including better training of staff, encouraging the reporting of harassment, and ensuring public spaces are safe.
The Women’s Night Safety Charter, set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is the first of its kind covering the entire region.
BIRMINGHAM LIVE - LAW CHANGE WELCOMED BUT CITY REVELLERS 'STILL VULNERABLE' TO 'HARROWING' CRIME
Modernising the law on spiking ‘should not mark the end of the conversation on the horrific act’, Birmingham campaigners have warned. Recent amendments to the law, which hope to bring more perpetrators to justice, means it will now be made clear spiking is illegal.
Along with the changes to the criminal justice bill, the Government will also be drawing up new guidance to provide an “unequivocal” definition of the crime. Campaigners Daz Scott and Martha Harrison have been campaigning for spiking to be made a specific offence since the surge in needle and drink incidents in 2021.
BBC - NEEDLE SPIKING: BIRMINGHAM WOMEN PUSH FOR CRIMINALISATION
Two women have started a campaign to raise awareness of needle spiking – the act in which victims are unwittingly injected with incapacitating chemicals.
An investigation by MPs earlier this year found victims were often brushed off as having “one too many” drinks, leaving the practice under-reported.
The pair have created a short film to highlight the dangers people face. The women, from Birmingham, have received funding through the city’s Commonwealth Games legacy project – Gen 22 – which helps pay for social action schemes by young, local people, Ms Scott says.
BIRMINGHAM LIVE - THEATRE DUO SLAM 'GOVERNMENT INACTION' OVER NEEDLE SPIKING WITH SHORT FILM
Two social activists are using the power of dance and film to fight the epidemic of needle spiking. In a psychedelic short film ‘Look Sharp’, the movie starring Brummie women portrays the battle between enjoying a night out and protecting yourself from the horrendous crime of needle spiking.
The worrying trend involves victims at nightclubs, and similar venues, being spiked via injections. Shocking statistics reveal widespread needle spiking across 2021. The film is part of a campaign pushing the government to make spiking a specific criminal offence in the UK, as well as address victim blaming and ‘gendered violence’.
BIRMINGHAM COMMONWEALTH GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY - COMIC RELIEF CAMPAIGN FILM
Gen22 provides an opportunity for young people from the West Midlands to gain employability boosting opportunities through the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It’s for young people who might otherwise struggle, for reasons such as lack of confidence; being a young carer or young parent; or having a criminal record. Gen22 has been co-designed by young people to ensure it best meets the needs of its participants and is something they will enjoy and benefit from.
SUSSEX WORLD - ALL THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL THINGS WE COULD DO IF PUBLIC SPACES WERE SAFE FOR EVERYONE
Calico, a dance-theatre company creating movement driven work that “facilitates important social conversations” bring their show Curfew to the Worthing Pier, with Worthing Theatres and Museum, as part of SpinOut22 Festival on June 25 at 6pm and 8pm. They are promising a loud, colourful piece of dance theatre, all about reclaiming public spaces.
Martha Harrison, co-director of Calico, said: “Curfew blends dance, theatre, drag and voice recording to reframe the conversation around sexual harassment in a frightening, funny and hopeful exploration of the curfew invisibly imposed on women and non-binary people.
