Addressing the scourge of violence against women and girls
- Bristol South
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
Launched this week, the strategy and action plan to combat violence against women and girls is a huge step forward in meeting our manifesto pledge to halve this abuse in a decade. The Prime Minister made this a priority when he led the Crown Prosecution Service in 2012 and has now followed through with that personal commitment.
The scale of the problem is huge, every day, 200 rapes are reported to the police, and many go unreported, a woman is killed by a man every three days. It is particularly important to Bristol South, as in parts of the constituency rates of reported domestic violence are ten times that in other parts of the city.
There are three central aims of the strategy, to prevent boys and young men from going down the wrong path, to bear down on perpetrators to stop re-offending, and to support victims so they get justice and can heal.
The plan has been welcomed, in particular the work on prevention. Young people will receive the best possible education on healthy relationships, myths and harmful attitudes will be challenged. Further action will be taken to address online images, disinformation and deepfakes.
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders will be rolled out across England and Wales, imposing curfews, electronic tags and exclusion zones on abusers. Anyone who breaches these conditions could face up to five years in prison. Online abusers will be targeted by special police teams, and data collection will be improved.
There will be funding to provide more safe accommodation for victims, including domestic abuse refuges, and increased safety measures for those who stay in their home. More support will be offered to victims and their families, as well as those concerned about their own behaviour.
The strategy also fully recognises that men and boys experience abusive and violent crime, including but not limited to, domestic abuse, stalking, sexual violence, ‘honour’ based abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, and intimate image abuse. There are details about how it addresses these issues here.
