
On Monday 25th November I joined colleagues and people in communities across the country to mark White Ribbon Day, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is the start of 16 Days of Activism – a global campaign spearheaded by the UN, fighting against gender-based violence. The crisis of gender-based violence is urgent, and the campaign makes clear that there is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls.
In the UK, a woman is killed by a man on average every three days. Each year in the debate on International Women’s Day, their names are read out in Parliament by my friend and colleague Jess Phillips MP. It is a constant reminder of how society is failing to keep women safe.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates in the year ending March 2024, approximately 2.2 million people experienced domestic abuse, 1.5 million experienced stalking, and 1.1 million experienced sexual assault. In the year ending October 2024, a shocking 3,356 domestic abuse offences were recorded in Hounslow.
Violence against women and girls is a national emergency. Day after day, week after week, generation after generation, we seeing women and girls facing the same threats of violence and abuse. We owe it to women and girls to step up our efforts and where we need it, make changes to the law.
That’s why this Labour government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. Achieving this mission will require a transformation in the way we work together on this issue across Government, public services, charities and the private sector, and we will use every tool available to us to deliver it.
The Government has already taken significant steps to transform the policing response to these heinous crimes – including announcing Raneem’s Law, which will see domestic abuse specialists placed in 999 control rooms, the long-overdue roll-out of the pilot for new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and rolling out Independent Legal Advocates for rape victims next year.
I am also proud that on Monday, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper set out in Parliament new plans to tackle spiking – with spiking made a stand-alone criminal offence to strengthen the police response, new specialist training for staff working in the night-time economy across the country, and new recording measures.
The theme of this year’s White Ribbon Day was #ItStartsWithMen – encouraging men to stand as allies and hold each other accountable. Over the years, I am proud to have worked with many incredible men committed to making a difference and being role models for boys, who are all too often growing up all in a culture of normalised online and offline harassment. White Ribbon Day is a reminder that we all have a role to play in eliminating violence against women and girls.
We can help by being active bystanders – intervening when safe in incidents of harassment, violence or misogyny. Sexual harassment on tube and trains can be reported to the British Transport Police on 61016, while incidents on the streets can be reported by visiting met.police.uk, calling 101, or calling 999 if someone is in danger.
Hounslow Council also offers free and confidential advice and support to anyone affected by domestic and sexual violence or abuse. You can contact them via 07810 031 780 or domesticabusesupport@hounslow.gov.uk, and you can attend the Hounslow One Stop Shop at Holy Trinity Church Hounslow, 6 High Street, Hounslow, TW3 1HG, open every Wednesday from 10am – 12pm.
Women have the right to live without violence and the fear of violence, in their homes, on the streets, and in our communities. I am proud that this government is committed to delivering transformative change on this vital issue. Together we must work more closely to address the hidden, shocking scale of domestic abuse and gender-based violence in our community. If anyone would like to be part of the work we are doing in the local area, please email me at seema.malhotra.mp@parliament.uk.