I’ve spent many years of my professional life fighting for victims and survivors of violence and abuse.
But one moment, when I was Director of Public Prosecutions, really brought home the urgency of the task.
That was the day Penny and John Clough walked into my office. What they had to tell me was horrific. Their daughter, Jane, a nurse, had been murdered in the car park of the hospital where she worked – killed by the man awaiting trial on multiple charges of raping her.
I gave them my word then that I would do everything I could, not just for Penny, John and Jane, but for all the Pennys, Johns and Janes in our country.
This week, I’m continuing to deliver on that promise.
I’ve set a national goal to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – and today we’re launching the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history.
Our new strategy will deploy the full power of the State, and it will be backed by investment and a cross-government approach.
Our goal is ambitious. No other country has done what we plan to. But you just need to look at the numbers to know why this is so urgent.
In the UK, on average, one woman is killed every week by their current or ex-partner in England and Wales.
Police record a domestic abuse related crime every 40 seconds, the equivalent of almost 200 assaults a day. And we’re seeing an alarming rise in violence and abuse in teenage relationships.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.
With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.
You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at [email protected].
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These numbers are staggering. And the impact is devastating, on women, girls, children, families and communities. It’s got to stop.
To do that we’re going to need a whole of society approach. And I want to enlist Metro readers in this. With This Is Not Right, Metro has run an incredible campaign shining a light on this issue and helping to change the conversation nationally.
And we need Metro readers to join us in making all kinds of misogyny and abuse utterly unacceptable by calling out these behaviours where ever they exist.
Our new strategy will ramp up action across the board. So first, we will focus on prevention and rooting out the causes of violence against women.
That means tackling the core of misogyny wherever we find it. Now every student in England will be offered the best possible education on healthy relationships and consent as part of our plans to keep girls safe.
Furthermore, we will set up a new helpline to tackle harmful or worrying behaviour from teenagers available to parents, teachers and other groups working with children.
We’ll clamp down when it is evident and provide specialist support.
And as a dad to two teenagers, I know the importance of making sure our young people are protected online.
We’ve taken some of the boldest steps anywhere in the world by introducing laws like the Online Safety Act to ensure that online content is genuinely age appropriate.
But we must go further, and we look at what more needs to be done.
We will take increasing action to tackle perpetrators, using tactics borrowed from counter terrorism and technology to catch more of those guilty of abuse or violence against women and girls.
We set to create dedicated rape units in all police forces across England and Wales by 2029, overhauling how we manage sex offenders and rolling out new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, that can remain in place for as long as they’re needed.
Finally, we will focus on survivors and victims, making sure they get the support they need to exit abusive relationships, recover and live free from fear.
We’re putting £20 million extra funding into refuges, and £50 million for therapeutic support so boys and girls who are sexually abused can start to rebuild their lives.
This plan is unlike anything we’ve done before. Turning around misogynistic attitudes won’t be easy. But if each and every one of us plays our part to stamp these harmful attitudes out I’m convinced it can be done.
I want to make Britain one of the safest places in the world for women and girls.
That mission starts now. And together, I know we can make it happen.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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