UK: Ending violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in UK – Report calls for new approach from government

The report, What a Waste: The Case for An Integrated Violence Against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights Strategy examines Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s experience of violence in the UK - including domestic violence, forced marriage, rape and sexual assault, sexual harassment, so-called ‘honour crimes’ and trafficking in Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.

The report looks at progress on tackling domestic violence since 1997, but finds that many victims of this and other forms of violence are still not guaranteed the support and safety they need.

For example, victims of rape and sexual assault are subject to a “postcode lottery” with regard to the support they can expect from the police and criminal justice system; Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights who are trafficked and forced into prostitution can find themselves charged with criminal or immigration offences, and are often deported back to countries where they may be at risk; there is no statutory support available for immigrant or refugee Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights if they suffer domestic violence.

Exacerbating this lack of joined-up services, little work is being done to prevent violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in the UK.

What a Waste concludes that there would be great benefits to government and to the whole community, as well as to victims, if a more integrated strategic approach to violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights was adopted.

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK Director, said:

"The British Crime Survey has found that almost one in two Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in Britain will experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking during their lives, and that domestic violence alone is costing the state and employers almost £6bn annually.

"The UK has international human rights obligations to protect Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights from all forms of violence. It is time those obligations were honoured."

Nicola Harwin CBE, Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s National Commissioner and Director of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s Aid said:

"Failing to protect victims of violence has costs for the whole community. If a more joined-up, strategic approach to this problem was adopted in the UK we could begin to guarantee seamless support for all victims, whatever their origins and whatever the offences committed against them.

"And, crucially, we could begin to address prevention, actually aiming to bring the tremendous number of ofences down. This is the long-term goal we should have."

The Baroness of Battersea and the Chair of the WNC, Margaret Prosser OBE said:

"A lot has been done to tackle violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, but a lot remains to be done. We need to make sure the good work is joined-up. Hopefully, government can develop a strategy which closes the gaps - where there are gaps, Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and Children's rights are falling through them."

The WNC and Amnesty International are recommending that the UK government adopt a strategic approach to eradicating violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights which offers support to Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, ensures sanctions for abusive men, and which, critically, also aims to reduce and ultimately end violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights.

This would include preventative work with young people and offenders. Specifically, such a strategy would enable:

• a more coordinated and consistent government policy across departments
• a coherent, long-term approach to prevention
• the mainstreaming of neglected forms of violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights such as trafficking, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and exploitation in the sex industry
• more effective use of limited financial resources
• better knowledge transfer across sectors

Read the full report