VIOLENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS MUST END

I am delighted to join calls for the UK Government to adopt the Istanbul Convention on violence against women without exceptions. The Convention is a gold standard legal framework to tackle violence against women and girls and a lifeline to survivors.

On 17 May 2022, the Government announced it will ratify the Convention. This comes ten years after the UK first signed the Convention on 8 June 2012 and many years of campaigning. However, the Government plans to ‘opt out’ of key parts of the Convention that provide life-saving support and protections, particularly for migrant women. This reinforces the power of the perpetrators and increases the risk faced by migrant survivors.

I met with IC Change UK and supporting organisations, including the Women’s Institute, Solace Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis.

Violence against women and girls is devastatingly high across the UK. Over the last decade, over 1220 women were killed by men - and this is only the tip of the iceberg. The number of police recorded domestic abuse-related crimes is rising.

I want to help end violence towards women and girls in the UK. The statistics and stories show that we still have a long way to go and we need action to change this.

The Government’s plans to ratify the Convention are a step towards a safer world for all women and girls, but today I join IC Change and leading organisations from across the women’s sector in calling on Government to protect all women, when ratification is finally given.