On International Women’s Day, the PPA marks the growth of its #SaferPaganSpaces initiative and shares new community consultation data that makes the case for why this work cannot wait.
The Police Pagan Association (PPA) today marks International Women’s Day 2026 by celebrating the growing momentum behind its #SaferPaganSpaces pledge, and by sharing findings from a national community consultation that lay bare both the barriers women and girls in Pagan and Heathen communities face, and the transformative difference that collaboration, knowledge and trust can make.
This year’s IWD theme, #GiveToGain, calls on individuals and organisations to invest, through mentorship, collaboration and inclusion, in order to drive progress for women everywhere. For the PPA, that principle is not an aspiration. It is the foundation of everything the association does.
| “When we give communities the knowledge, the frameworks and the confidence to protect women and girls, everyone gains, safer spaces, stronger trust, and a policing relationship built on respect.” |
Andrew Pardy, Chair, Police Pagan Association
What the Community Is Telling Us
Earlier this year, the PPA conducted a national community consultation with Pagan and Heathen communities across the UK. The findings illuminate a community that is thoughtful, values-driven, and ready to act, but one that has, in too many cases, lacked the structures and trust to do so effectively.
| 73.7%
Report positive encounters with the police |
84.5%
identify a barrier to contacting police |
50%
cite fear of misunderstanding specifically |
The consultation found that fear of misunderstanding, named by half of all respondents is the single greatest barrier preventing Pagan and Heathen individuals from seeking help. For women who have experienced harassment, coercive behaviour, or abuse within community spaces, that fear compounds an already significant vulnerability.
Yet when contact is made and when the right knowledge and relationships are in place, the majority of police encounters go well: 73.7% of those who had contacted police described their experience as positive. The challenge is not what happens when the system works. It is the structural barriers that prevent too many women from ever reaching it.
| “Safeguarding should be given to everyone. Not just the vulnerable, and everyone should feel safe to approach the police whatever path they are on.” |
— Consultation respondent
#SaferPaganSpaces: Giving to Gain, in Practice
Launched on 15 January 2026, the #SaferPaganSpaces pledge is the PPA’s most significant community initiative to date. It invites Pagan and Heathen organisations across the UK, from national representative bodies to local moots, covens and online communities, to commit to safeguarding accountability and the active protection of women and girls.
The response has been immediate and encouraging. Groups of all sizes have signed the pledge, signalling a shared commitment to safety, ethical leadership, and the principle that no community space should be a place where women and girls are put at risk.
What the pledge delivers:
- A clear commitment to safeguarding accountability at every level of community leadership
- Access to community safeguarding guidance, including policy templates and risk assessment tools
- Free, tailored safeguarding training designed specifically for Pagan and Heathen community spaces
- A direct link between community organisations and PPA expertise in responding to concerns
- Alignment with national Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) priorities
The first round of safeguarding training for pledge holders, delivered in February 2026, focused on what a genuinely safer space looks and feels like in practice, for everyone who enters Pagan circles, gatherings and communities. Hosted by the Confederation of Heathen Kindreds and Asatru UK, the session prompted honest reflection, rich discussion, and a renewed commitment to collective responsibility.
| “This work isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention, accountability, and walking alongside one another as we strengthen safeguarding practice across our traditions.” |
Dex Etherton, Vice-Chair, Police Pagan Association
The IWD #GiveToGain Connection
The IWD 2026 theme calls for generosity, of time, knowledge, visibility and support, in the service of a more equitable world. The PPA’s work with Pagan and Heathen communities embodies each of these dimensions:
| We Give… | …Communities Gain |
| Police training and religious literacy | Officers who understand Pagan practice and can respond with knowledge rather than assumption, reducing the fear of misunderstanding that 50% of our community currently carry. |
| Safeguarding frameworks and templates | Community leaders with the tools to protect women and girls proactively, before harm occurs, not reactively, after it has. |
| Free training for pledge holders | Group leaders who are equipped, confident and supported to apply safeguarding principles in the specific contexts of Pagan and Heathen spaces. |
| Community consultation – listening first | A body of evidence that reflects the real experiences of women and girls in these communities, so that training and guidance is built on truth, not assumption. |
| A trusted bridge between community and policing | Lower barriers to reporting, greater confidence in seeking help, and a clearer path to safety for those who need it most. |
Building the Training That Will Make a Difference
The consultation findings are now directly informing the development of training for police officers and staff across UK forces. That training will address the knowledge gaps that our community has told us matter most, including how Pagan spiritual frameworks can be misused to enable and conceal harm, why fear of misunderstanding suppresses reporting, and what genuinely respectful engagement with minority faith communities looks like in practice.
This is the #GiveToGain principle in action: a community gives us its truth, and policing gains the knowledge to serve that community better. Women and girls in Pagan spaces gain the protection they have always deserved.
| “Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and silence is not a neutral position. The community has told us it is ready to act. Our job is to make sure the structures are there to support it.” |
Andrew Pardy, Chair, Police Pagan Association
The Community Has Spoken
When asked what the phrase ‘Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’ meant to them, respondents to the PPA consultation were unambiguous. Their words speak for themselves.
| “Don’t walk by. It’s essential to call out inappropriate behaviour and mistreatment when you see or experience it.” |
| “A community is only as strong as its weakest member. We need to look after one another.” |
| “Everyone has the right to feel safe regardless of age, colour, gender, sexuality, disability and any other protected characteristics.” |
These are not abstract principles. They are the values of a community that already believes in what the PPA is working to build, and that is asking for the support, the recognition, and the infrastructure to act on what it already holds to be true.
Get Involved
Pagan and Heathen organisations, community leaders, and individual members are invited to be part of this work by signing the #SaferPaganSpaces pledge at www.policepaganassociation.org/safer-pagan-spaces-pledge
