Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls

UPDATE: 08 August 2022

As part of the Evaluation Accelerator Fund, £1.7 million has been awarded to work undertaken by the College of Policing to identify promising interventions aimed at tackling violence against women and girls.

Possible options include forensic tagging of perpetrators of crime in the Night Time Economy and the use of domestic abuse courts. The funding, run by the Evaluation Task Force, will test and develop new data-driven approaches to policy-making and evaluation.

Read more here: £12 million funding boost for cutting-edge government projects - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

Tackling violence against women and girls

The sexual harassment of women and girls in public places is unacceptable. No one should be forced to change the way they live to avoid harassment and abuse. 

Following the tragic case of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, I have been reflecting heavily on issues associated with the safety of women and women’s security and wrote to the Minister for Safeguarding at the Home Office to raise related issues arising from violence against women and girls (VAWG). No one should feel threatened when they are walking along our streets and I fully understand that her tragic death raised difficult and critical questions about the safety of women out and about in our communities, as well as wider public alarm.

But I am also minded that women have reported on issues associated with hurtful sexual harassment and general misogynistic comments when they are out and about in their daily lives. I am grateful for the constituents who I have met and heard from who have bravely shared their stories and concerns, I have found this hugely useful.

To that end, I have contacted local hospitality venues to make them aware of the Ask for Angela initiative, which allows an individual to approach bar staff discretely to ask for assistance. People who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened can discreetly seek help by approaching venue staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code-phrase will indicate to staff that they require help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them. This may involve helping to reunite an individual with a friend, seeing them to a taxi, or by calling security and/or the police. I have written to the Minister for Safeguarding regarding the ongoing work to encourage further uptake nationally and locally, to ask for any promotional and training material that can be distributed, and to understand what training is available for new staff members within the hospitality sector.  

I have also contacted local pharmacies to ask the same for Ask for ANI (Action Needed Immediately) which is a UK wide codeword scheme developed by the Home Office to provide a discreet way for victims of domestic abuse to signal that they need emergency help from the safety of their local pharmacy. The scheme has been developed with the help of partners including the domestic abuse sector, pharmacy associations and the police and was launched across the UK on 14 January 2021. Over half of UK pharmacies, including Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds, are now enrolled in the scheme and people from across the UK have been supported by pharmacists to access emergency help from the police or domestic abuse services.

Promotional material for scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ask-for-ani-and-safe-spaces-schemes-training-toolkit

I believe it is important to highlight that tackling these crimes requires a whole societal approach and we must stamp out the sexist and misogynistic behaviour which underpins this. I therefore welcome the Government’s recent national communications campaign ‘Enough’, launched 1st March 2022, to bring about real and lasting behaviour change by targeting and challenging the harmful behaviours that exist within wider society, educating young people about healthy relationships and consent, ensuring victims can recognise abuse and receive support. The campaign was developed with an advisory group comprising over 30 voluntary sector organisations, survivors and academics who provided their expert insight which were fed into the key messages.

Further, the £5 million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund focuses on the prevention of violence against women and girls in public spaces at night. In addition, ‘Project Vigilant’, led by Thames Valley Police, will ensure that both uniformed and plain clothes officers are able to attend areas surrounding clubs and bars to better ensure that women are safe in these locations and that patrols are able to be increased as people leave at closing time.

If your business would like to take part in the above schemes and would like to be sent a campaign pack including posters and social media assets, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

 

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse is the most common form of violence against women and girls. I am also mindful that there are significant reports of domestic abuse in Leicestershire, escalating further during the pandemic when many were trapped in their homes with their abusers. Domestic abuse can have a devastating impact on the lives of millions; anyone can be a victim or survivor, but it is women who are disproportionately affected.

I have asked a Parliamentary question regarding what support is available for victims and survivors of domestic abuse, including children. You can read the Minister response here.

The Government have recently published a new cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which includes over £230 million of investment  and will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to domestic abuse.

The plan focuses on:

  • Prevent offending from happening in the first place;
    • As part of prevention, Relationships and Sex Education is now mandatory in all secondary schools ensuring young people better understand healthy relationships. To follow this up, I have raised a Parliamentary Question regarding the training provided to educators to ensure they are confident in teaching the revised curriculum. You can read the Ministerial response here.
    • The Home Office will review the guidance on the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, known as Clare’s Law, to make it easier to a access partner’s previous abusive/violent offending behaviour.
    • The Home Office will work with the National Police’s Chiefs’ Council to identify police forces which record the highest rates of domestic abuse. After corresponding with our local Police and Crime Commissioner, I am pleased violence against women and girls is a high priority and I have enquired further as to the specific actions which will be taken in the local area.
  • Support victims and survivors;
    • There will be a review to understand whether the current statutory leave provision for employees does enough to support victims and survivors who are escaping domestic abuse.
    • £15.7 million will be ring-fenced per annum for community- based services supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence up to 2025.
    • £81 million will be provided over three years to fund 700 Independent Domestic Violence Advocate and Independent Sexual Violence Advocate roles, enabling delivery of higher capacity and quality support services.
    • To facilitate more reporting of domestic abuse and to improve the police response, the Home Office will provide up to £3.3 million to fund the roll out of Domestic Abuse Matters training to forces.
  • Pursue perpetrators to prevent re-offending;
    • Increase tagging for those leaving custody, including 3,500 individuals who are at risk of perpetuating domestic abuse.
    • Plans will be brought forward to set out a new register for domestic abusers based on the sex offenders register.
    • The Government will accept recommendations made in reports by HMICFRS to conduct a review of data on domestic abuse cases closed for reasons such as ‘evidential difficulties’.
    • Invest £75 million over the next three years to tackle perpetrators, including funding interventions, evaluation and further research.
  • Develop and strengthen the multi-agency, society-wide system needed to combat these often hidden crimes;
    • Invest £7.5 million over three years to facilitate greater coordination within healthcare settings, including to upskill healthcare professionals to tackle domestic abuse.
    • Trial of the Ask for ANI scheme across Jobcentre Plus offices. As mentioned above, I have enquired further about this scheme and relayed the information to local pharmacies to increase uptake.
    • The Home Office will reform the Domestic Homicide Review process to ensure lessons are learnt, alongside the launch on an online repository of all reviews, with a £1.3 million investment this year.
    • The National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing will also take forward work to support police to help identify and reduce risks of suicide in cases involving domestic abuse.

The above Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan was informed by the unprecedented 180,000 responses provided to the Violence Against Women and Girls call for evidence, and a wide-ranging literature review and assessment of the available data. It will be integrated and overseen by the VAWG Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Home Secretary.

I also welcome the additional £28 million provided through the pandemic to support domestic abuse services and the launch of the #YouAreNotAlone campaign, alongside the Ask for ANI scheme to raise awareness of the support available and increase opportunities to disclose abuse.

Finally, I was proud to support the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021,  which provides protection to millions of people who experience domestic abuse, including section 3 recognising children too are victims of abuse, and strengthens measures to tackle perpetrators. The Home Office will review the police response to children experiencing domestic abuse.

As part of her duties under the Domestic Abuse Act, the Home Secretary has also published a strategy for the effective prosecution and management of perpetrators: The ‘Pursuing Perpetrators’ approach.

 

Criminal Justice System

I share the frustration of many with regards to the delay in cases reaching court and unfortunately this has been the experiences for many across the country. I am pleased the Government is tackling the backlog of the criminal court cases with extensive work in this area:

  • The Justice Secretary has announced there will be a first ever Victims’ Law to guarantee greater consultation during the criminal justice process to ensure their voices are properly heard, and hold Agencies such as the police, Crown Prosecution Service and courts service to appropriately account. I hope you were able to have your say in the recently closed consultation. A response and legislation will be drawn up in due course following its conclusion.
  • £15.7 million will be ring-fenced per annum for community-based services supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence up to 2025.
  • £81 million will be provided over three years to fund 700 Independent Domestic Violence Advocate and Independent Sexual Violence Advocate roles, enabling delivery of higher capacity and quality support services, with aim of recruiting 1,000 in total.
  • Investing a quarter of a billion pounds to support recovery within the courts – providing extra capacity through Nightingale Courts, limit-free sitting days in the Crown Courts, and two new “super courts” to deliver swifter justice for victims
  • The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) secured an additional £2.2 billion in funding from the Spending Review of which £185million will go towards supporting victims by 2024/25.
  • The government also published the first ever quarterly performance scorecards, as part of a greater drive for transparency and to hold all justice agencies appropriately to account. The scorecards also shine a light specifically on the response to rape and sexual violence – delivering on a key pledge in the government’s Rape Review published last year. The aim is to use this data to help drive a major increase in the number of prosecutions reaching court. 

It is vital that victims and survivors have complete confidence in the justice system and trust that they will be treated with the utmost fairness in court and that justice will be served. I raised this directly with the Minister for Crime and Policing, you can watch the question and Ministerial response here: https://www.drlukeevans.org.uk/news/trust-criminal-justice-system-question-minister-state-crime-and-policing

I have also raised a Parliamentary Question regarding what support is being put in place to help deal with the backlog of cases in Leicester Crown Court and the Midlands. You can read the Ministers response here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-04-25/159094

To understand from the staff who work directly in the Criminal Justice System, I have enquired with a local court to understand where they believe the additional investment should be directed to achieve the most benefits of dealing with the backlog and thus delivering justice.

 

Misogyny as a Hate Crime

A number of constituents have contacted me regarding the misogyny as a hate crime.

From Autumn 2021, police forces were asked on an experimental basis to identify and record any crimes of violence against the person, including stalking and harassment, as well as sexual offences where the victim perceives it to have been motivated by a hostility based on their sex. I had presence at a talk with attendees from Nottinghamshire Police who have recorded misogyny as a hate crime since 2016.

I understand the Law Commission has now concluded a wide-ranging review into hate crime after closing its consultation on 24 December 2020 and reviewing the responses. I am glad those with an interest, including perhaps yourself, had the opportunity to share their views. In its final report, the Commission made a number of recommendations to provide greater protection on the basis of sex and gender, including extending the offence of stirring up hatred to cover stirring up hatred on the grounds of sex or gender. It is suggested this would help to tackle the growing threat of extremist misogynist “incel” ideology, and its potential to lead to serious criminal offending. Furthermore, it recommended that the Government launch a review into the need for a specific offence to tackle public sexual harassment, arguing that it would likely be more effective than adding sex or gender to hate crime laws.
 
You might also be aware that the Commission recommended that “sex or gender” should not be added to the protected characteristics for aggravated offences and enhanced sentencing, suggesting it would be ineffective at protecting women and girls and in some cases, be counterproductive. For example, if applied in the context of rape and domestic abuse the commission says it could make it more difficult to secure prosecutions and create unhelpful hierarchies of victims. However, if these contexts are excluded, it would make sex or gender very much the poor relation of hate crime characteristics, applicable only in certain, limited contexts. While I appreciate you might be disappointed with this particular conclusion, I am encouraged that the Government will now carefully review and consider the recommendations of the report before issuing a full response and any future action.

I welcome the Home Secretary has appointed Nimco Ali as an Independent Adviser on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, and the publication of the tackling violence against women and girls strategy to ensure women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets. The strategy will increase support for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the long-term. In addition, the new Voyeurism (Offences) Act criminalises the reprehensible behaviour of up-skirting. There can now be no doubt that this activity is criminal and will not be tolerated. For the most serious offences, this law will ensure that the offender is also placed on the sex offenders' register.

There is more to do, and I will be paying close attention to the important work which is underway.

I am committed to working hard to ensure we do all we can to protect women and girls from intimidation, harassment and violence, and from hearing from Ministers, the Government has similar aims. You may ask what I am doing, in my representational role as your MP; I have raised the campaign with Ministers to be considered in the context of strategic planning in this area, I have also written to the police minister about how the police deal with harassment. I have also sought an update from Ministers about the progress and outcomes of the recent measures that have been introduced. If you would like sight of the eventual response from Ministers, please let me know and I will respond accordingly.