Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Violence against Women and Girls 2026-07-13

Monday 13 July 2026 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department is committed to halving the levels of violence against women and girls within a decade through investments and protective measures.
  • All police forces are implementing Operation Soteria to improve rape case investigations with tools, training, and guidance.
  • The Home Office supports all victims of violence against women and girls, regardless of their immigration status, to ensure no woman fears coming forward due to immigration issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James MacCleary Lib Dem
Women & Equalities
Context

The question addresses the government's commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, including steps already taken.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle violence against women and girls?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

We have made a commitment to halve the levels of violence against women and girls in a decade. We are taking action including investment of £53 million, preventing children from viewing nude imagery online, protecting over 1000 victims through domestic abuse orders.

Answered
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Q2 James MacCleary Lib Dem
Crime & Law Enforcement Women & Equalities
Context

Sussex has low conviction rates for rape cases, with Operation Soteria launched to improve the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.

Question

Can the Minister update on progress of Operation Soteria and set out what action is being taken to improve rape case investigations in Sussex?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

All forces are implementing Operation Soteria, designed to help build the strongest possible case through tools, training and guidance. I will arrange a meeting with the Minister for Policing and Crime to discuss specific issues in Sussex.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific progress of Operation Soteria not provided

How: Arranging Meetings Instead Of Providing Specifics

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Q3 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth
Immigration Women & Equalities
Context

Immigrant women fear reporting crimes due to concerns about their immigration status being used as a tool of control by abusers.

Question

What is the Home Office doing to protect women from abuse where immigration status is used as a tool?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

No woman should fear coming forward due to their immigration status. We support all victims of violence against women and girls, regardless of their status in this country.

Answered
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Q4 Karen Bradley Con Staffordshire Moorlands
Women & Equalities
Context

A district councillor in Staffordshire Moorlands has been a victim of sexualised AI images, with comments made by another councillor deemed disgraceful.

Question

Will the Home Secretary condemn the comments of Reform councillor Dave Poole regarding Councillor Jill Salt?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

Those comments are a disgrace. I condemn them and call on all Members to take a unified stance on instances of violence against women, threats, abuse, creation of explicit images, and breaking the law.

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Q5 Christopher Vince
Women & Equalities
Context

There was a lack of buy-in from other Departments for the previous violence against women and girls strategy.

Question

What is being done to ensure cross-Government commitment to tackling violence against women?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

This is a cross-Government strategy led directly by the Prime Minister. Government Departments are committed, and this remains a cross-Government commitment with support across parties.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions not detailed

How: Vague Statements

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Q6 Katie Lam Con
Justice & Courts
Context

A survivor of sexual violence experienced years of pain and danger to have their abuser imprisoned, only for the Government to let them out early.

Question

Why are prisoners being released after short sentences despite the harm they caused?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

Justice was sought through the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is focused on ensuring we do not run out of prison places in this country, which is a crisis I inherited from previous governments.

Not addressed: Why prisoners are released early

How: Shifting Blame

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