How We Support Girls and Young Women Who Have Experienced Violence and Exploitation

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women and girls, while also recognising the challenges many still face. For girls and young women who have experienced violence and exploitation, having the right support can make all the difference.

To mark the day, we spoke with Denell, our Service Manager for Young Women and Girls at Safer London. Denell leads a dedicated team supporting girls and young women across the capital, helping them feel heard, believed and empowered as they navigate difficult experiences.

In this interview, Denell shares her insights on the challenges girls and young women face today, the importance of gender-specific support, and what gives her hope for the future.

From your perspective, what are some of the key challenges girls and young women face in London today?

It’s such a big topic because there are so many different challenges girls and young women in London can face.

One of the biggest things is that girls and young women can sometimes feel invisible within the systems that are meant to support them and help keep them safe. At the same time, they’re dealing with a mix of pressures from society – including the risk of violence, as well as harassment both online and offline.

Social media plays a really big role in this. The scrutiny girls and young women can experience online can have a real impact on self-esteem, mental health, and how they form their sense of identity. Often, the wider world only really starts paying attention when media coverage highlights the effects of social media on girls and young women, but in our work we see how deeply it can affect how they feel about themselves.

I think it’s really important that we look through all issues through a gendered lens. Sometimes there’s a focus on managing risks, but we can forget to think about the everyday realities girls and young women are navigating – things like expectations around how they should look or behave, or the pressure to present themselves in a certain way from a young age.

There’s just so much wrapped up in what it means to grow up as a girl or young woman today. It’s complex, and it’s something we need to keep listening to young women about.

What are common misconceptions people have about girls affected by violence and exploitation?

One of the biggest misconceptions – and probably the one that frustrates me the most – is the idea that girls and young women somehow choose the situations they end up in. There’s often a narrative that shifts the blame away from the perpetrator and onto the girl and young woman, as if they’ve put themselves in that position.

For me, that’s really difficult to hear, because it completely ignores the vulnerabilities that can make young women more at risk in the first place. It also overlooks how perpetrators use power, control, manipulation and sometimes violence to exploit those vulnerabilities. Girls and young women can be pushed into situations in ways that people on the outside don’t always see or understand.

Trauma responses are another thing that can be misunderstood. Sometimes girls and young women are labelled as difficult or defiant, when actually what we’re seeing is the impact of trauma. For us, it’s about recognising that and responding differently.

A lot of the time, the most important thing we can do is simply be there for them. Sometimes that means just sitting with them and creating a space where they feel safe enough to open up when they’re ready.

Why is it so important to focus specifically on girls and young women in our area of work?

I think it’s important because girls and young women deserve support that actually reflects their realities. Their experiences, the pressures they face, and the way they navigate the world can be very different, so we have to look at things through a gender lens.

A lot of the time, girls and young women are still blamed for what’s happened to them, or their experiences are minimised. Because they’re young, people might question whether things were really “that bad”, or the narrative can get twisted. What we try to do through our work is send a really clear message: we believe you, your experiences matter, and you deserve support that works for you.

Sometimes services can overcomplicate things at the beginning, but for us it’s about meeting young people where they are. My team will often bring things like games or snacks to sessions – not as a structured activity, but just to create a relaxed space. Maybe a young woman has had a really tough day at school and doesn’t want to talk. That’s okay. If we spend 40 minutes just sitting together or playing a game, that can still be really valuable.

The important thing is that they’ve seen that we’ve shown up, we’re not putting pressure on them, and we’re not expecting them to immediately share their deepest experiences. We’re just there with them in that moment.

Sometimes the “wins” in this work aren’t obvious straight away – you’re planting the seeds. But in the long term, that consistency and care is what makes the biggest difference.

What inspires you about the team you manage and the work they do everyday?

This is probably the easiest question for me to answer! I’ve worked in the charity sector for over 20 years and managed lots of multidisciplinary teams, but this team genuinely makes me feel really proud. They honestly give me that warm, fuzzy feeling – which might sound a bit cheesy, but it’s true.

It’s because of who they are as individuals and the commitment they bring to the work. They show up for girls and young women every single day. Sometimes that means travelling across London for hours just to have a 40 minute session with a girl or young woman. And they don’t just turn up with generic resources – they create their own, tailored to each young woman they’re supporting.

What really inspires me is the way they see the young women they work with. They truly believe in their potential. They see them as intelligent, creative, powerful and determined, and they bring that belief into every session. They help young women see those qualities in themselves too.

What changes or investments are needed to make the UK safer for girls and young women?

From a charity perspective, one of the biggest challenges is funding. So much of the work we do is funded through short-term contracts, which means that support can end up being time limited. The reality is that we’d like to reach far more girls and young women than we’re able to, but resources are stretched. When we close one case, there are often many more young women waiting for support.

More broadly, I think we need to shift how we think about safety. Too often, girls and young women are told to keep themselves safe, when actually we should be focussing on making the environments around them safer in the first place.

Early intervention and preventative work in schools could also make a huge difference – things like education around consent and healthy relationships, as well as helping professionals recognise the early signs of exploitation or risk.

And then there’s misogyny. Sometimes these attitudes are only taken seriously when something goes viral or appears in the media, but a lot of harmful behaviour gets normalised in everyday life. That has a real impact on culture and can contribute to violence against women and girls. Challenging those attitudes and thinking about the long-term impact they have is really important if we want to create real change.

What gives you hope for the future of girls and young women in the UK?

For me, a lot of the hope comes from the resilience I see in girls and young women every day. It’s something that often gets overlooked. Despite the challenges they face and the experiences they’ve been through, they still find ways to laugh, to dream about their futures, and to hold onto their ambitions.

I’m also seeing more girls and young women speaking out and challenging the stereotypes or injustices they experience. They’re increasingly confident about using their voices, and that’s really powerful.

On a personal level, a lot of that hope comes from the moments we see in our work. When a young woman starts to believe in themselves, sets a boundary, or begins to think about their future in a different way – those small wins mean everything. Sometimes it’s just one step at a time, but seeing that change happen reminds us why this work matters so much.

Denell’s insights show just how important it is to listen to girls and young women and take their experiences seriously. While the challenges they face are real, so is their resilience, creativity and determination.

This International Women’s Day, we’re proud to celebrate the girls and young women we work with, and the dedicated practitioners who stand alongside them every day. Together, we can continue working towards a future where every girl and young woman feels safe, valued and able to thrive.

Donate today to support girls and young women who need it most.