Violence against Women and Girls 2024-07-29
2024-07-29
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Questions & Answers
Q1
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Violence against women and girls is a significant issue in the UK, with numerous incidents reported each year.
What steps her Department plans to take to tackle violence against women and girls?
For far too long, violence against women and girls has been treated as an inevitability, rather than the national emergency that it is. Our mission is for the whole country to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. That has to start with drastically improving the policing and criminal justice response.
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Specific steps being taken by the Department were not detailed
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Q2
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The experience of victims is often better when the police empathise with them. Alison Lowe's work in West Yorkshire has been highlighted as a model.
I am proud to support the Government's mission to halve violence against women and girls. I know from my time as a councillor that the experience of victims is much better if the police empathise with them. Will my right hon. Friend agree to look at work done by Alison Lowe, the Deputy Mayor of West Yorkshire, on connecting survivors with police, to ensure that the police are more empathetic when dealing with these awful crimes?
As a West Yorkshire MP, I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the work done by not just the Deputy Mayor of West Yorkshire, but the mayor and the chief constable. They have been looking at ways to improve women's safety on the streets and speed up charging for domestic abuse. Charge rates for domestic abuse have dropped by about 40% across the country over the last eight years. That has to be turned around, because we need justice on those terrible crimes.
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Specific actions related to Alison Lowe's work were not detailed
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Q3
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A National Police Chiefs' Council report highlights that one in 12 women will be victims of a violent crime by men. Education and societal change are crucial components.
I welcome the Home Secretary's comments, particularly in the light of a National Police Chiefs' Council report that states that one in 12 women will be victim of a violent crime by a man. While police action is necessary, does she agree that this is a whole-Government and whole-society problem? We have to look at societal change and education, including health education, and we have to look at misogyny in the round, because it is about more than just violence; it happens to women every day, in the most everyday of circumstances.
I agree with the hon. Member that this has to be a broad mission; that is why the Prime Minister has talked about it being not just for Government or any individual Department. We will work on it across Government, but it must be about society as a whole. The Education Secretary has talked about tackling toxic misogyny in schools as well.
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Specific initiatives for societal change and education were not detailed
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Q4
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Refuges play a vital role in helping women escape domestic abuse, but funding is an issue. Scarborough has the highest domestic abuse rate in North Yorkshire without a single refuge.
I welcome the steps that my right hon. Friend is taking to reduce violence against women and girls. Women's refuges and other dispersed accommodation play a vital part in helping women and their children to escape domestic abuse. Scarborough has the highest domestic abuse rate in North Yorkshire, but we do not have a single refuge in the constituency of Scarborough and Whitby. Planning permission for a women's refuge at Danes Dyke was granted in 2022, but progress has stalled due to rising business costs. Will the Home Secretary please advise on how the shortfall in funds referenced by North Yorkshire council, Beyond Housing and Homes England can be dealt with, so that this vital service can be built?
My hon. Friend is right to point out the important work done by refuges, as well as all kinds of voluntary sector groups who do immensely important work supporting victims and providing specialist advice. We have to recognise that funding for local council services has been hit; that is one of the issues that will be covered by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor in her statement in due course. We want to see work done in every community across the country as part of this mission, so that we get the best impact from every pound there is for supporting women and girls who face violence and abuse.
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Specific advice on dealing with funding shortfall was not provided
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Q5
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Exploitation of vulnerable girls is a critical issue, with online, institutional, and domestic abuse presenting dangers.
My constituency carries painful scars from a time when vulnerable girls were subjected to abuse and exploitation, but across the country it is not just so-called grooming gangs that present a danger to girls; abuse happens online, in institutions and in the home. What measures will the new Government put in place to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence, to ensure that what happened to vulnerable girls in my constituency can never happen again?
My hon. Friend makes an immensely important point. She is a strong voice for victims of the most terrible abuse and violence. We need to ensure that victims get support, and that action is taken against perpetrators. Too often, the focus is on the too-weak support for victims, and there is not enough proper, strong action to go after perpetrators and ensure that they face justice for their terrible crimes. We will set out a new perpetrators programme to properly ensure that the police pursue the most dangerous offenders when it comes to violence against women and girls. That is the best way to ensure that everyone can stay safe.
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Specific measures targeting perpetrators were not detailed
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Q6
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Specialist charities provide vital support to women who have been abused, but many local services have had to close due to lack of funding.
The situation facing specialist charities is acutely difficult. Many local services have had to close their doors due to a lack of funding, including, sadly, Suffolk Rape Crisis. Long-term sustainable funding is crucial if women are to be supported after abuse and kept safe from future harm. Could my right hon. Friend confirm that Labour's mission will include a review of funding for these life-saving services?
Our mission needs to be comprehensive, and to involve every area and local community; it is not just about the work of Government. We want strong partnerships in every area across the country, focusing on how to prevent violence against women and girls, ensuring that victims get support and pursuing perpetrators. We are keen to work closely with voluntary and third-sector organisations and refuges to make sure that we do that.
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Specific review of funding for specialist charities was not confirmed
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Q7
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Violence against women and girls is a serious issue, with nearly 400 offences reported in Derby in the past year.
There were nearly 400 offences of violence against women and girls in Derby in 2022-23—shamefully, a fifth of all crimes in the city. I welcome the £83,000 for closed circuit television that will be put into operation by our new Derbyshire police and crime commissioner, but what further support can this Government provide so that women feel safe, and are safe, in our city centres?
I agree on the importance of that. As well as doing work specifically to target violence against women and girls, this Government are determined to increase neighbourhood policing, to get police back on the streets to make sure that people feel safe. We have lost around 10,000 neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers in the past eight years. We need to turn that around so that everyone can feel safe on our streets.
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Specific additional support for Derby city centres was not provided
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Q8
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The member is concerned about the need for collaboration across UK regions to address violence against women effectively.
How will my right hon. Friend work with the devolved nations to ensure that we meet those targets?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. The mission needs be right across the UK. We must address this issue in all corners of our country, work in partnership, and learn from what has and has not worked in keeping women safe. We will continue to do that.
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Q9
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Plymouth's report was commissioned to address violence against women following tragic incidents in 2021. The member seeks a meeting with the government to discuss implementation.
The right hon. Lady may be aware of Plymouth's “Male Violence against Women and Girls Report” and its recommendations. It was commissioned to help the city, including part of my constituency, rebuild following two violent tragedies in 2021. Our belief has always been that our recommendations could form a blueprint for how towns and cities across the country address violence against women and girls. Will the right hon. Lady meet me to discuss how we might work together on this issue?
The hon. Member raises an important point. I have talked to Plymouth MPs over many years about the terrible incidents that Plymouth has had to endure, the impact on the community, and the importance of learning lessons to prevent future violence. We will continue to work with Plymouth, and I am sure that the safeguarding Minister will be happy to talk to her further about this.
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Q10
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The member seeks assurances that the Department for Education will be involved in educating young people about the dangers of widespread access to pornographic material.
I applaud the new Government's mission to halve violence against women and girls. In my previous role as the chief executive of Devon Rape Crisis, I learned how insidious widespread access to pornography among our children and young people is, and how damaging it is to both boys and girls. Could the Secretary of State assure me that the Department for Education will be involved in this mission, with a widespread education programme in all schools across the country about how dangerous pornography is? Will she commit to working with internet companies to further tighten up safeguards, in order to create a fail-safe mechanism, so that our young people cannot access this vile pornography?
The hon. Member may know that a review on pornography was established under the Conservative Government. That is due to report in the autumn, and we look forward to its conclusions. Let me take the opportunity to say that we will work with anyone on tackling violence against women and girls.
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Q11
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The member asks for a commitment that those who commit violent acts against women, especially in their professional capacity as emergency service workers, will face the law.
Does the Home Secretary agree that it is shocking when there is violence against female emergency workers? How committed is she to ensuring that perpetrators face the full weight of the law?
Women must have the protection of the law wherever they face violence. That includes women emergency service workers, women police officers, and women shop workers who face violence in their job.
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Q12
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The member seeks commitments on addressing the lack of intervention by young boys when witnessing sexual harassment, suggesting that education is necessary.
Next month, the community in Twickenham will once again remember Amelie Delagrange, the French student who, many Members will remember, was brutally murdered on Twickenham Green some 20 years ago. Sadly, so little has changed since then. In a local survey by Richmond and Kingston youth council, 69% of boys said that they would not intervene, or would be unsure about intervening, if they witnessed friends sexually harassing someone. May I reiterate calls from both sides of the House for work with the Department for Education to make sure that boys, as well as girls, learn what is and is not acceptable?
The hon. Member is right that this needs to start early and start young. There is a strong personal commitment from the Education Secretary to starting this in schools, and continuing it throughout life.
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Q13
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The member highlights the high prevalence of abuse experienced by women in Northern Ireland, urging for discussions with Justice Ministers on tackling strategies.
I thank the Home Secretary very much for her positive answers to all the questions put forward. University of Ulster research from 2023 shows that an eye-watering 98% of women in Northern Ireland experience at least one form of abuse in their lifetime. Between 2017 and 2021, 35 women and girls were murdered there, a level of violence unprecedented across this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. What discussions will the Home Secretary have with the Justice Minister back home about strategies for Northern Ireland for tackling abuse?
The hon. Member is right to raise this issue; it affects us in all corners of the United Kingdom. We are keen to work in partnership everywhere and anywhere to tackle these appalling crimes.
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Q14
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The question arises from the government's commitment to halve violence against women and girls. The previous government had also prioritized this issue, leading international efforts on it. There has been a 25% increase in arrest rates for VAWG crimes between 2019-20 and 2022-23, and a 38% rise in rape charge rates over the past year.
Once again, I welcome the right hon. Lady to her place. I welcome her Government's commitment to halving violence against women and girls. This issue remains a long-standing priority for me, as my role as Foreign Secretary included leading an international strategy on this issue. With increases in arrest rates for VAWG crimes by 25% between 2019-20 and 2022-23 and a 38% rise in rape charge rates over the past year, how will we measure the halving of these incidents to ensure under-reporting does not dissuade women from coming forward?
The shadow Home Secretary highlights that addressing the prevalence of VAWG needs to go beyond reporting increases. Under-reporting is a significant issue, and we are working to measure its impact accurately. She notes that while charge rates have increased slightly, they remain very low overall, with prosecutions and convictions for domestic abuse being more than 40% lower today compared to eight years ago. This requires substantial systemic changes.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific metrics for measuring the reduction of violence against women and girls were not provided.
We Must Be Very Honest With Ourselves About The Damage That Has Been Done
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