Watchdog says Government must do more to tackle violence against women and girls

By Aine Fox, Reporter7th March 20247th March 2024News EnglandDomestic Abuse / Violence, Government / Politics, Human Rights, News England, Victim Support

Efforts to tackle violence by police against women and girls require “urgent improvement”, the human rights watchdog has said.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said there is more work for the Government to do to meet targets to improve women and girls’ safety.

Its findings come in the same week that the UK’s most senior police officer said combatting violence against women and girls will need the same level of funding as the fights against terrorism or organised crime.

Sir Mark Rowley told the London Policing Board on Tuesday that there are hundreds of thousands of men in Britain who are a threat to women and girls and the scale of the problem means it has to be treated as a threat to national security.

His comments and the EHRC’s conclusions came following the first part of the Angiolini Inquiry published last week, which found that killer officer Wayne Couzens – who raped and murdered marketing executive Sarah Everard (pictured) in 2021 – was a serial sexual predator who should never have been employed by the police service.

Amid a series of scandals, including Miss Everard’s murder and the unmasking of another officer, David Carrick, as a serial rapist, the Metropolitan Police Service has faced heavy criticism for the way it deals with certain offences.

The EHRC said its recommendations to help improve women and girls’ safety include the Government “prioritising further action to address the prevalence of violence against women and girls perpetrated by the police”.

It backed a recommendation from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to ensure the removal of warrant cards from officers who are under investigation for crimes relating to violence against women and girls and statutory recognition that convictions of this nature should automatically constitute gross misconduct.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday Sir Keir Starmer said victims of violence against women and girls deserve better than the “nonsense” and “games” offered by the Prime Minister.

Rishi Sunak said Miss Everard’s murder was an “absolutely shocking case”, adding that ministers “took action quickly to strengthen police vetting, strengthen the rules for rooting out officers who are not fit to serve”.

But the Labour leader pressed Mr Sunak to introduce mandatory national standards for police vetting, arguing there is a “world of difference” between a code and binding mandatory standards.

Sir Keir’s party has pledged to deliver “a step change in tackling violence against women and girls with a transformative package of measures to achieve its mission of halving incidents within a decade” if it is elected to government.

Meanwhile, among “areas for urgent improvement”, the EHRC also described prosecution rates for sexual offences as remaining “unacceptably low” and branded access to domestic abuse refuges “concerningly poor”.

The watchdog said only 1.1% of vacancies at refuges are suitable for women with limited mobility, while fewer than 1% were suitable for wheelchair users in 2021/22.

The human rights watchdog also called on the Government to commit to protecting migrant women who are victims of violence.

It called on the Government to withdraw its reservation to Article 59 of the Istanbul Convention, which would ensure all migrant women have access to independent residency rights in certain cases of relationship breakdown connected to domestic abuse.

The EHRC said the Government’s current approach means migrant women who are victims of violence are not adequately protected, leaving some domestic abuse sufferers, and their children, “at risk of further abuse or destitution”.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the EHRC, said: “Violence against women and girls can have awful, long-lasting effects, and it is essential that more progress is made to permanently remove it from our society.

“Ahead of International Women’s Day, we urge the UK and Welsh governments to look closely at our report and implement its recommendations, so we can move towards a society where women and girls feel safe going about their everyday lives.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said it shares the EHRC’s concern around support for migrant victims and has called for the UK Government to ensure they are recognised and supported “as the Istanbul Convention intended”.

They added: “Welsh Government has always been clear about its ambition to end violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence – which includes all forms of sexual exploitation.

“We must also continue to challenge attitudes and change behaviours of those who are violent, abusive and exploitative. It is not for women to modify their behaviour; it is for abusers to change theirs.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “We ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2022 and are committed to upholding it. We want to send a strong message to women and girls in the UK, and to partners overseas, that this government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls.”

But it declined to say it would withdraw its reservation on Article 59.

The spokesperson added: “However, we know there is more to do to strengthen our response to these vile crimes.

“That is why we have classified violence against women and girls as a strategic priority for policing alongside other key threats like terrorism, introduced the first ever national policing lead to drive change at the highest level, and are working with police partners to ensure that proper standards are upheld at all times.”