Your say / violence against women and girls
‘It’s on all of us to call out the behaviour that is too often overlooked’
**Content warning: domestic and sexual violence**
If you’ve clicked on this article, you probably already know the facts.
You know that in the UK, it’s estimated that one in four women experience domestic abuse.
That 41 per cent of UK girls aged 14 to 17 in an intimate relationship have experienced sexual violence.
That every ten minutes, a woman is killed around the world, and every five days in the UK.
These numbers make for a shocking read, but they are so much more than that. They are our friends, mothers, sisters and daughters.
Women whose lives have been torn apart for no fault of their own. There is #noexcuse. Gender-based violence has to end.
One in four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime – photo: Rob Browne
As we approach the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we’re thinking of all those impacted by violence against women and girls.
We’re thinking about women and girls in Bristol, across the country and the world, including those impacted by conflict-related sexual violence.
Our message to each and every one of them is that they are believed and they are not alone.
We are also taking a moment to reflect on progress made, to acknowledge how much work there is left to do and to ask ourselves: what more can we do?
Since the last election, Bristol Labour has:
- Introduced a successful motion on tackling violence against women and girls that received cross-party support.
- Brought forward a budget amendment to prevent a cut to domestic abuse funding (unfortunately, this wasn’t supported by the Green / Lib Dem administration).
- Brought forward a successful motion calling for safer transport for Bristol’s night-time economy workers, leading to more frequent new night bus routes being introduced. We know that many women and gender diverse people do not feel safe travelling home at night. This motion followed a campaign by Unite the Union after a woman was sexually assaulted in 2021 while heading home from a late shift.
- Brought forward a successful motion to create safer, more inclusive parks and green spaces for women and girls and other marginalised communities. We know that our parks and green spaces don’t feel like safe places for many women and girls, particularly in these winter months with fewer daylight hours. We don’t believe that this has to be the case. Research shows that by involving women and girls in the design of spaces, we can create places that feel safe for all.
We have also been pleased to see steps taken by the Labour government, including:
- Repealing the presumption of parental involvement in the family courts. The removal of the automatic assumption that contact with both parents is in the child’s best interest is a big step forward. This follows years of campaigning by survivors of domestic abuse, including Claire Throssell MBE, whose sons were killed by their father during a contact visit.
- Piloting the introduction of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms.
- Introducing new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Domestic Abuse Protection Notices that prioritise the needs of survivors and make it easier for the police to manage risks posed by perpetrators.
- Announcing that making sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images will become a criminal offence.
- Announcing a new offence for the taking of intimate images without consent.
- Legislation to make spiking a new criminal offence.
- Criminalising the depiction of strangulation and suffocation in online pornography.
- Investing in The Drive Project, which targets high-risk perpetrators to prevent further harm.
A vigil will mark the UN designed day for eliminating violence against women and girls on Thursday – photo: Rob Browne
But we know there is more to do, and, like many organisations, we eagerly await the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
But it’s not just the government or the police to fix this issue. It’s on all of us to call out the behaviour that is too often overlooked.
Sexist jokes, gender stereotyping and comments like “boys will be boys” normalise behaviours and a culture that disrespects women and girls.
If we are serious about change, we need to challenge this culture.
We know that there are many fantastic teachers, youth workers and sports coaches who do this, and we cannot underestimate the impact they are having.
We must also condemn any attempt to distort the truth about violence against women and girls in order to justify a racist agenda.
Elements of the far-right try to present the epidemic of violence against women and girls as an imported problem that is linked to immigration. This is categorically untrue.
The truth is that sexual and domestic abuse is perpetrated in every economic group, ethnicity, age and social group, overwhelmingly by men in women’s and girls’ lives.
More than 90 per cent of perpetrators of rape and sexual assault are known to their victims, and one in two rapes against women are carried out by a partner or ex-partner (Rape Crisis).
This racist agenda seeks to hijack important conversations about violence against women and girls and only fuels division, taking the focus away from survivors and the root causes of society-wide male violence.
We know that there is so much hard work going on across the city to support women and girls who experience gender-based violence, and we’re so grateful to all the fantastic organisations working with victims and survivors who recognise the multiple and intersecting barriers that prevent so many from getting the justice and support they deserve. Their work makes such a difference.
At Bristol Labour, we won’t stop talking about this issue until all women and girls can live their lives without fear of gender-based violence and abuse.
The vigil will be led by charity Next Link in collaboration with groups and services across Bristol who support people affected by domestic abuse – image: Next Link
Candlelit vigils will be taking place in and around Bristol on Thursday to mark the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Tuesday.
This will kick off the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence. The theme this year is ‘UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls’.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse or sexual violence, support is available.
- Next Link (Bristol & South Glos): 0800 4700 280
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
- The Bridge: 0117 342 6999
- Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support: 0808 801 0456
This is an opinion piece by Emily Clarke, Labour councillor for Bedminster; Lisa Durston, Labour councillor for Filwood; and Carole Johnson; Labour councillor for Horfield.
Main photo: Labour Party
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
