A Tiptoe Approach to Tackling Violence Against Women

The government's £23.5m advertising campaign, Enough, aimed at challenging perpetrators of violence against women has been met with disappointment from many, given its cautious approach to the issue. The campaign's posters, featuring young men attempting to challenge toxic behaviour, seem to tiptoe around the problem, rather than directly addressing it. This shift in focus to men who attack women is welcome, but the campaign's approach feels inadequate given the epidemic proportions of violence against women and girls.

Key Takeaways:

• In the past year, 125 women and girls have been killed at the hands of male perpetrators, according to the Femicide Census (Femicide Census, collated by Karen Ingala Smith).
• The UK police force has faced criticism for its handling of a peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common and revelations about the behaviour of officers at the murder scene of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
• The Met's culture of unchecked and often violent misogyny has led to the early departure of commissioner Cressida Dick.
• The government has refused to make misogyny a hate crime, instead prioritizing violence against women alongside terrorism.
• The prosecution and conviction rates for rape offences are at their lowest on record, with only 1.3% of reported rape offences resulting in a suspect being charged (End Violence Against Women Coalition).
• Many women and girls who have experienced violence and abuse in their lives cited the presence of myths and stereotypes related to violence against women and girls as a reason for not reporting it to the police (Office for National Statistics).
• Only 16% of victims who had experienced rape since the age of 16 reported it to the police, with many citing requests for personal digital information from their phones as a reason for their reluctance (Office for National Statistics).

Statistics:

• 125 women and girls have been killed at the hands of male perpetrators in the past year, according to the Femicide Census (Femicide Census, collated by Karen Ingala Smith).
• 63,136 reported rape offences were recorded in the year to September 2021, while only 1.3% resulted in a suspect being charged (Office for National Statistics).
• 180,000 women and girls described the sexual harassment, violence and abuse they had suffered in their lives in response to a call for evidence from the Home Office (Home Office).
• Only 16% of victims who had experienced rape since the age of 16 reported it to the police (Office for National Statistics).

Sources:

• Femicide Census, collated by Karen Ingala Smith
• End Violence Against Women Coalition
• Office for National Statistics
• Home Office
• The Guardian (Sandra Laville)