Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Tackling Violence against Women and Girls

Wednesday 10 December 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mohammad Yasin inquired about Bedfordshire's efforts to reduce violence against women and girls, highlighting online safety concerns.
  • Jessica Toale mentioned Shut It Down, an initiative in her constituency aiming to educate teachers and pupils on healthy relationships and positive masculinity.
  • Sarah Olney referenced the UN's 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, noting a significant rise in technologically facilitated abuse referrals to Refuge.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mohammad Yasin Lab Bedford
Crime & Law Enforcement Culture, Media & Sport Women & Equalities
Context

In Bedfordshire, the police and crime commissioner is implementing measures to halve violence against women and girls. However, serious online harms like violent pornography are still a significant issue.

Question

Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner is working hard to deliver the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls, tackling complex domestic abuse cases and driving a 250% increase in Clare’s law disclosures. Yet women and girls face serious online harms, including violent pornography, highlighted by Baroness Bertin and Ofcom. Given the link between online misogyny and real-world violence, what action will the Government take to ensure tech companies properly protect women and girls from serious online harms?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)

Making the online environment a safer place for women and girls is a priority for this Government. It is this Government who are outlawing depictions of strangulation in pornography. The Online Safety Act 2023 placed a requirement on tech platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls, including harassment and intimate image abuse. Ofcom recently published guidance outlining further steps that services can take to make platforms safer for women and girls.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions against tech companies were not detailed beyond mentioning the Online Safety Act 2023 and Ofcom's guidance

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Q2 Jessica Toale Lab Bournemouth West
Education Women & Equalities
Context

Shut It Down is an organization in Bournemouth that aims to prepare teachers for tough conversations on misogyny, promoting positive masculinity and healthy relationships among male pupils.

Question

Shut It Down is an organisation set up by two teachers at Glenmoor and Winton Academies in my constituency. It aims to prepare teachers for tough conversations and work with male pupils to tackle misogyny, and to promote positive masculinity and healthy relationships. What more can the Minister and her Department do to support such projects, and to tackle the culture of violence against women and girls at the earliest possible stages?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)

Shut It Down and organisations like it are a brilliant tool. Everyone should feel safe and valued in school. We want our schools to counter misogynistic views by teaching boys about respect, empathy and equality. We will support teachers on how to deliver the revised statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education, which strengthens consent on healthy relationships, with free resources available. We will be piloting a teacher training grant in 2026.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify support for Shut It Down but rather mentioned general support for schools to teach respect and equality

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Q3 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Women & Equalities
Context

Refuge has experienced a significant increase in referrals of technologically facilitated abuse, which includes tracking devices, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and monitoring by abusers.

Question

Today marks the final day of the UN’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which focused primarily on ending digital violence against women and girls. The domestic abuse charity Refuge has experienced a 62% increase in referrals of technologically facilitated abuse from last year. That abuse can take the form of stalking via tracking devices, non-consensual sharing of intimate images and recording devices being used by abusers to monitor victims. Will the Minister confirm what steps she is taking with the Home Secretary to help tackle violence against women and girls, with specific reference to technologically facilitated abuse?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)

Refuge does brilliant work to support victims of tech-based abuse. The Government are determined to have a cross-Government approach, and I am working very closely with the Home Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to see how we can get to grips with the issue. We will be publishing our cross-Government VAWG strategy imminently and there will be a specific reference to tech abuse in that strategy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps being taken or planned but rather mentioned cross-government approach and upcoming strategy

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