Today (Tuesday 8 March) is International Women’s Day (IWD).
IWD is always a great opportunity to recognise the contribution of women and girls around the world, in all walks of life. In this spirit, it was good to see so many of my ministerial and civil servant colleagues featuring in the House Magazine’s Women in Westminster: The 100, which shines a light on 100 of the most inspirational and influential women MPs, ministers, journalists, and civil servants. Congratulations to all those who made the list.
IWD is also a time to renew our commitment in government, and particularly in the Ministry of Justice, to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG).
First, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – currently completing its passage through Parliament - gives victims more time to report domestic abuse, introduces a new offence to tackle breastfeeding voyeurism, and ends automatic halfway release for serious violent and sexual offenders.
Next, we have expanded the use of pre-recorded cross-examination (“section 28”) for victims in sexual violence cases to more Crown Courts. We are also rolling out Operation Soteria – a new investigatory model which focuses on the suspect’s, rather than the victim’s, behaviour.
More broadly, working closely with partners in the Home Office and across government, we are tackling violence against women and girls by:
- Creating landmark protections for victims in our Domestic Abuse Act.
- Protecting women through the £70 million Safer Streets Fund, which will help promote women and girls’ safety in public places.
- Changing attitudes through the ‘Enough’ campaign – led by the Home Office – to say ‘Enough’ to violence against women and girls.
Together, these measures will help to make significant progress in tackling violence against women and girls.