Grim report raises concerns over Labour's vow to cut violence against women
The Commons' Public Accounts Committee (PAC) cast doubt over Labour's ability to achieve its pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade
Efforts to tackle violence against women and girls are focusing too much on reacting to crimes instead of preventing them, MPs have warned.
The Commons' Public Accounts Committee (PAC) cast doubt over Labour 's ability to achieve its pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. It said not enough was being done 'to prevent perpetrators committing these crimes in the first instance'.
MPs in particular raised concerns about a 'reactive approach' to tackling growing social media threats against women and girls.
It said it was not convinced the Department for Education is taking 'a sufficiently proactive role in educating young people, especially boys, on the dangers on exposure to harmful online content, and how this can lead to misogynistic attitudes'.
MPs equally raised concerns about the support available for victims, finding evidence of refuges having to refuse 65% of requests and community-based services only able to support half of those who ask for help.
VAWG affects at least one in 12 women each year and one in five police recorded crimes in 2022-23 were related to VAWG, PAC said. But the committee found it is likely that the true number of those affected is even higher, as many incidents go unreported.
MPs raised concerns around data collection on VAWG, with the Home Office not collecting information on all crime types, nor on responses from under-16s.
Anna Dixon, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, said: 'The levels of violence against women and girls in our country are truly appalling and it is right the government have set out a mission to halve it. This is not an issue the Home Office can tackle alone; while arresting perpetrators is vital, it will not solve this problem.
'It is crucial that we address the underlying cultural issues, particularly the rise in harmful online content shaping misogynistic views in young men and boys. Education and other preventative measures to counter the spread of harmful content are needed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Labour rule in Wales taken for granted and under threat at Senedd poll
People take for granted that Labour will always be in power in Wales, the First Minister has said, as she warned that Reform UK are the 'biggest threat' to the nation's way of life ahead of key elections next year. Baroness Eluned Morgan warned in her speech to the Welsh Labour conference that the Senedd elections will be a 'moment of reckoning' as Nigel Farage's party are 'rising', prompting people to ask 'big, serious questions about what kind of future they want for Wales'. Reform is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination at the Senedd elections in May next year. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Mr Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. 'I think they're the biggest threat to Wales and our way of life,' Baroness Morgan told the PA news agency. 'I think people take Labour for granted in Wales. It's something that, you know, there's an expectation that we'll always be in power. 'So the things that are real in people's lives today, like free prescriptions, free parking in hospitals, free school meals for children in school. All of these things are political choices, and Reform would make different political choices.' Asked if she felt the best way to counter the threat of Reform in the elections was to shift to the left, she said: 'What I'm clear is that we've got to stay true to the values of Welsh Labour. 'And the values of Welsh Labour are consistent with the red Welsh way … and there are times when we will be in a different place from the UK. 'And yes, I think the political centre of gravity in Wales is further to the left than throughout the UK.' She had earlier accused Mr Farage of 'peddling fantasies about sending people's grandchildren down coal mines and reopening blast furnaces' while the Welsh government deals with the 'cost of industrial decline'. Mr Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot's blast furnaces, which were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place. The Prime Minister warned in his own speech that Mr Farage 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for Port Talbot's blast furnaces. Sir Keir Starmer said the Reform leader has 'no idea what he's talking about' when it comes to the furnaces, and has 'no plan at all'. The Prime Minister had earlier warned of the prospect of the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru forming a coalition in the Senedd in what he called a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. It would be 'working families left to pick up the bill', he added. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
The UK's definition of controversial is way off balance
Mike always manages to see the wood from the trees and clearly, like me, abhors the dripping hypocrisy of governments, the media and press. In this instance, the English Labour government gets so het up by folk having the temerity to spray red paint on two precious military planes, yet is just so unforgivably cold-hearted about death and destruction in Gaza, which, as Mike says, it's complicit in. So, to witness at the NATO summit in The Hague the leaders of European countries, including the AI-generated abomination that is Keir Starmer, being so obsequious to the leader of the country that is basically funding the mass destruction of humans and infrastructure in Gaza was sickening! READ MORE: Scottish manufacturing firm announces 90 jobs face redundancy I'm no daft! Obviously this totally insincere behaviour is a form of self-protection. The type of self-protection, however, that is more akin to those in one of my favourite films, The Godfather, that grovel and simper to the don, Vito Corleone, then after his death to his youngest son, Michael. The world has gone mad! Those that, quite rightly, have a conscious and a heart that spray paint a military aircraft involving zero harm tae onybody, no even a cut finger in sight, are portrayed as evil monsters! Yet it's imperative to still sell arms to a nation whose government is involved in ethnic cleansing and to defend that country's right to 'defend' itself! Even the term 'perverse' doesn't cut it! Glastonbury is now upon us and a group called Kneecap are playing there much to the overwhelming disgust of politicians, the media and the press, apart from The National, to its great credit! Somebody needs tae hae a brain! Kneecap care about the plight of Palestinian bairns that get blawn tae bits and quite rightly display this in a very blunt, 'controversial' way. However, what the hell could be mair controversial than blawing a poor innocent bairn tae bits! Aye, the world has definitely gaun mad! Ivor Telfer Dalgety Bay, Fife LAST week the Scotland 2050 conference took place in Edinburgh. Swinney spoke, and his big idea for solving Scotland's myriad of problems isn't independence. It's reforming the National Performance Framework (NPF), the aim of which is to 'create a framework that better drives public sector reform, improves collaboration between the national and local governments and empowers communities'. Stirring stuff! When I tried to learn more about the NPF, I found the website was archived. Swinney also wants Scotland to rejoin the increasingly authoritarian, neo-liberal and warmongering EU. That isn't up to him but to the Scottish people, and they can't decide it until Scotland leaves the failing UK. He references independence, but provides no strategy for achieving it. He plans to complement the NPF with 'full fiscal autonomy'. That means instead of the block grant, Holyrood would receive all taxation levied in Scotland – business, employment, environmental and consumption taxes – although VAT remains reserved to Westminster. Scotland would still pay Westminster a population share for 'Union services'. That means it would have to shell out money for nuclear weapons that Westminster insists be located in Scotland, as well as expensive UK embassies and a Foreign Office that cheerleads US-instigated foreign wars and backs the Zionist entity to the hilt. Full fiscal autonomy is not independence but just another form of devolution. No central bank or a Scottish currency. No control over energy policy, which would still be dictated by London. No say over immigration or trade policy. Holyrood would still be on a fiscal leash that Westminster could yank to pull it back into line at any time. (Image: PA) It's managerialism, something at which Swinney excels and it shows that he and the other Holyrood career politicians have settled comfortably into their devolutionist straitjacket. Moreover, it's unlikely that Westminster would ever agree to it. Devolution has failed Scotland yet it's all the SNP and Swinney are offering. The Scottish people will continue to live with falling living standards, worsening physical and mental health, crumbling public services and rising poverty all because they don't have the courage and confidence to run their own affairs and tell Westminster to take a hike. Leah Gunn Barrett Edinburgh ACCORDING to that self-proclaimed fountain of wisdom, Dame Jackie Baillie (right), the latest figures on NHS Scotland cancer waiting times are 'disastrous and an indication of the SNP's mismanagement of the NHS'. If that is indeed the case, and not just another disingenuous Dame Baillie anti-SNP soundbite, then how would Dame Baillie describe the situation in Wales, perhaps 'catastrophic?' In Wales, the devolved Labour Government has not only given up (since 2019) on reporting the 31-day target for the start of treatment, which NHS Scotland is achieving in 94.1% of cases and NHS England in 91.3% of cases. NHS Wales is only achieving the 62-day target for initial referral to start of treatment in 60.5% of cases. On the 62-day target, NHS Scotland at 68.9% is performing 13.9% better than Wales and NHS England at 69.9% is performing 15.5% better. Of course, the broader picture is that across the UK the NHS is struggling as cancers are increasingly suspected earlier and people are living longer (NHS Scotland has seen 17.5% and 6.3% increases in 62-day and 31-day referrals since the pandemic) while staffing levels continue to suffer as a result of Brexit and hostile UK Government immigration policies. If the SNP Scottish Government stands accused of 'mismanagement' then presumably the Labour Welsh Government stands accused of 'gross negligence'? Despite her patronising rhetoric, don't expect broad assessment and honest objectivity from Dame Baillie and the Labour Party on Scotland's NHS within the confines of UK Government policies any time soon. Besides more deceitful soundbites, one should expect more desperate references in the Scottish Parliament to relatively few poor experiences plucked from the hundreds of thousands of daily interactions with patients who are generally appreciative of the high quality of overall service delivered by NHS Scotland. Stan Grodynski Longniddry, East Lothian THE median waiting time for cancer treatment in Scotland being 52 days comes as a surprise to those waiting for their initial appointment with a plastic surgeon in Ayrshire and Arran to begin their cancer treatment. Two plastic surgeons have left the health board and appointments are being deferred while they bring in an external consultant to help alleviate the situation, with current referrals being given from initial diagnosis in June cited as a possible August appointment. This is leaving patients worried about accelerating conditions where early treatment is imperative, causing stress and anxiety which may further accelerate their cancer. Giving median statistics is great for those having a speedy journey through their treatment. At the opposite side there are many waiting unacceptably long times for appointments and treatment to begin, yet if you enquire about private treatment there appear to be consultants working and available for a fee. Personally, I have been waiting for an appointment with a general surgery consultant for a non-urgent appointment, though the issue is of concern to me, for a year for a hospital appointment with no end to the wait in site while they try to manage their waiting lists. Ayrshire and Arran have a huge problem and someone needs to be looking deeper into the statistics for all departments. Name and address supplied IRAN'S military surrender, as US president Donald Trump had demanded earlier this month, may also mean soon surrendering access to much of its vast fossil fuel reserves to American, and perhaps even British, 'energy' corporations. Those big business interests, and maybe even Israel's government, know there's still much to be effectively appropriated from the nation long demonised by the West. The 1979 Iranian Revolution's expulsion of major Western nations was in large part due to British and American companies exploiting Iran's plentiful fossil fuel. The expulsion may have been a big-profit-losing lesson learned by the 'energy' corporation heads, one that they, via intense lobbyist influence over the relevant governments in Washington DC and London, would resist reoccurring anywhere. The 2003-11 US/British invasion and prolonged occupation of Iraq may also have been partly motivated by such Western insatiable corporate greed. There has been a predictable American-UK proclivity for sanctioning Iran, its officials and even their allies since the Revolution, resulting in, among other negative impacts, reduced oil production revenue by the nation. It would be understandable if those corporate fossil-fuel interests would like Iran's government to fall thus re-enabling their access to Iran's resources. It may be that, if the relevant oil company heads were/are in fact against Iran's post-revolution government(s), then so were/are their related Western governments and, via general mainstream news media support, national collective citizenry. Frank Sterle Jr White Rock, BC, Canada If Westminster taxed the rich cheats who threw money at Brexit so they could avoid the new EU tax laws on tax havens, they would bring in way more cash than they will get from hitting the poor and disabled. They could close the loopholes the government deliberately creates and make everyone pay their tax. Loopholes are actually government created corruption. Labour could recover if they taxed the rich, as long as Israel doesn't mind, of course. Bill Robertson via email
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Starmer vows Labour will not 'take away safety net' vulnerable people rely on
In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference that came after a major U-turn on reforms in the face of a backbench rebellion, he said fixing the "broken" system must be done in a "Labour way" Keir Starmer has vowed Labour will not "take away the safety net" vulnerable people rely on - but said "everyone agrees" the welfare system needs to be fixed. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference that came after a major U-turn on reforms in the face of a backbench rebellion, he said fixing the "broken" system must be done in a "Labour way". "We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work," the Prime Minister said. "Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. "Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way." He called Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan a "fierce champion" and "the best person to lead Wales into the future" to applause and cheers from the audience. Baroness Morgan had publicly criticised the welfare plans and called for Sir Keir to change tack on restrictions on winter fuel payments, which he also eventually reversed. Mr Starmer told the BBC she was "right to raise concerns" and promised to "deliver on those as far as we can". In her speech to the conference, Baroness Morgan said she was pleased the Government listened to her concerns and reversed planned welfare cuts. "I'm glad the UK Government is a listening government and they heard our concerns and changed their approach to welfare cuts," she said. "We were really concerned about the impact these changes could have on some of our poorest and most vulnerable communities, and we made that clear to our colleagues in Westminster. "And I am really glad they listened because that decision brings huge and welcome relief to thousands of people in Wales who rely on this support to live with dignity." Farmers gathered outside the conference in Llandudno to protest ahead of Sir Keir's speech, with about 20 tractors parked on the promenade in the north Wales resort town by late morning. Later, some 150 protesters joined a march for Palestine outside the conference, walking solemnly to the venue where they stood for a few minutes to the beat of a drum. A small group of pro-Israel protesters shouted "free the hostages" and held signs saying "free Gazans from Hamas". Sir Keir also said any deal between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru at next year's key elections in Wales would amount to a "backroom stitch-up". The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. The Prime Minister said it would risk a "return to the chaos and division of the last decade" and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. He told the Llandudno conference it would be "working families left to pick up the bill". "Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together," he said. "I know that these are the parties that talk a big game, but who is actually delivering?" Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election. Reform UK is eyeing an opportunity to end Labour's 26 years of domination in the Welsh Parliament. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. Sir Keir also took aim at Nigel Farage, calling him a "wolf in Wall Street clothing" who has "no idea what he's talking about". He said the Reform UK leader "isn't interested in Wales" and has no viable plan for the blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
