Plan to tackle violence against women and girls to launch
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
The Home Office is set to launch its new strategy to prevent violence against women and girls including the first top police role dedicated to the issue.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to announce the strategy today (21 July) which includes the creation of a police position dedicated to keeping women and girls safe, a new 24/7 rape and sexual assault helpline commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and tougher measures to prevent sexual harrassment in schools and higher education settings.
Practices used on vulnerable girls and women such as “virginity testing” will also be criminalised, Patel said.
Writing in the Times, the Home Secretary added: “This strategy will be followed by a specific domestic abuse strategy later this year. We owe it to ourselves and to our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and colleagues to bring about a huge shift in how we address these crimes — and prevent them.
“Nowhere should be off limits to women and girls. Nobody deserves to be victimised or feel unsafe. It isn’t inevitable - and we are going to prove that.”
Campaigners supporting vulnerable children and Labour Party MPs have called for the measures to be brought in “urgently”.
Iryna Pona, policy and research manager at The Children’s Society, said: “There is no time to waste in tackling abhorrent and sickening violence against women and girls, and we welcome the focus of this strategy.
“Violence against women and girls, along with misogyny and victim blaming attitudes are normalised in society. Challenging these harmful attitudes and behaviours must underpin any work to achieve long-lasting change. It is as important to focus on educating adults and changing their behaviours as it is to provide RSE (relationships and sex education) lessons for children.”
Pona also called for measures to highlight the risk of abuse in teenage relationships and greater support for victims.
“It’s also vital that the strategy recognizes that children need specialist support, not services designed with adults in mind, and that children’s voices are heard in the development of the strategy and the services that deliver it,” she said.
Labour’s shadow Home Office minister Jess Phillips accused the government of "dragging their feet" on keeping girls and women safe.
"The services and support required to end violence against women and girls cannot run on warm words alone," she said.
"How are we in a situation where we have better protections for statues than for women?"
