Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, has welcomed the Labour Party’s landmark Green Paper which contains draft legislation on ending violence against women and girls. 

This paper is an important step in tackling rising cases of violence against women and girls across the UK over the last decades.

Last year, the number of female homicide victims in England and Wales reached its highest level since 2006 – up 10% on the previous year.  Domestic violence has also skyrocketed, with 260,000 domestic abuse offences between March and June 2020 alone.

Under the Conservatives, rape convictions have fallen to a record low, and across the criminal justice system victims of rape are facing delays of up to four years as a result of the record-breaking backlog in the Crown Courts caused by a decade of Conservative cuts and court closures.

Labour’s Ending Violence Against Women Green Paper proposes a long-term, whole-system response that provides justice and protection for survivors as well as delivering effective prevention, tackles social attitudes, inequality and discrimination that underpins the abuse women and girls face.  An approach focused on criminal justice alone would only act as a sticking plaster on underlying misogyny and inequality in society.

Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, said:

“The Tory Government has admitted that its efforts to tackle violence against women and girls have not been good enough, yet in last week’s Queen Speech they missed the opportunity to promise substantive action, instead offering more empty promises to review the status quo.

“The Tories are weak on crime and punishment, and under the Conservative Government we have seen levels of violence against women and girls rise at worrying rates.  New laws are urgently needed to tackle this epidemic, so the Labour Party has drafted legislation in its landmark Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Green Paper to propose solutions for long-term change.

“Labour’s proposals seek to ensure all victims of violence are seen, supported and protected, with the Green Paper aiming to not just stick a plaster over the cracks in the criminal justice system that have been exposed by over a decade of Tory cuts, but to tackle the misogyny, racism and inequalities fuelling violent acts on women and girls.

“Enough is enough, Labour is serious about making the safety of women and girls a priority.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. For more information, contact Ben Goldsborough at ben@cathoddu.com