Latest news with #womensafety
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Home Office social media influencer resigns after it designates Palestine Action a terrorist group
Former Coronation Street actress and social media influencer has ended her collaboration with the Home Office after the Government designated pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action a terrorist organisation. Nicola Thorp, 36, who has been a vocal advocate for women's safety since surviving a horrific stalking ordeal, said she could no longer 'essentially promote and do PR for' the department. She went on to accuse it of being 'complicit in the most abhorrent acts of violence against women and little girls in Gaza '. The actress-turned-activist had previously worked with the Home Office to promote its strategy to combat violence against women and girls. But in a strongly worded Instagram post, she revealed she had turned down a recent request to help publicise the initiative, which is being led by Labour MP Jess Phillips, now serving as a minister in the department. 'This request came shortly after Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, had announced that she would be proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation,' Ms Thorp explained. 'And it really got me thinking about how I feel about this particular Government.' The outspoken TV star, who played Nicola Rubinstein in the long-running ITV soap, added that while she supports domestic policies aimed at protecting women and girls, she could not in good conscience work with a Government she claims is 'an ally to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]' and continues to supply 'arms licences to Israel'. 'While I obviously support domestic efforts and policies put in place to reduce violence against women and girls in the UK, their continued supply of arms licences to Israel along with their position as an ally to the IDF is wildly hypocritical,' she said. Ms Thorp, who made headlines last year as a campaigner for the new 'right to know' anti-stalking policy after her own stalker was jailed, said all her previous work with the Home Office had been done on a voluntary basis. Her stalker, schizophrenic Ravinderjit Dhillon, was sentenced to 30 months in jail at Snaresbrook Crown Court in December 2023 after a disturbing two-year campaign of harassment in which he used 27 different online aliases to send her terrifying threats. Including one chilling message that read: 'I'm your Grim Reaper. I'm never going to leave you.' The traumatised actress has since dedicated much of her platform to women's safety but she has increasingly used it to criticise the Government's stance on Gaza and the policing of pro-Palestinian protests in the UK. Sharing a video of an armed officer confronting a man holding a Palestinian flag, Ms Thorp wrote: 'This is Yvette Cooper's Britain.' She called the scene 'unbelievable' and added: 'Where are all the free speech advocates now?' Ms Thorp has also refused an invitation to speak at the Labour Party conference this September on a panel about violence against women and girls hosted by the NSPCC. In her response, she said: 'I have ceased my work with the current Labour Government and will no longer be promoting any of the work they're doing to tackle violence against women and girls.' In the wake of her comments, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp launched a blistering attack on the former soap star, accusing her of 'virtue signalling' and defending the Government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action. 'Palestine Action is a violent group who want to achieve their political aims through coercion and criminal damage,' Mr Philp said. 'They have sabotaged an RAF aircraft, which our country relies on to defend us, they have smashed up property and they have even attacked a police officer with a sledgehammer. This is all totally unacceptable. 'In this country, we decide issues by debate and elections – not violence and intimidation. Palestine Action's methods should be condemned by anyone who believes in democracy and a peaceful political process. This influencer needs to stop virtue-signalling on Instagram and call out Palestine Action's violent tactics.' The Home Office has declined to comment. In recent years, the Government has increasingly turned to influencers - both paid and unpaid - to promote key policies to younger audiences on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. In 2020, Love Island stars were reportedly paid to promote the NHS Test and Trace scheme.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
‘I was followed carriage to carriage by a burping, farting man': This is life as a woman on the Tube
Show me a woman who's lived in (or simply visited) London and I guarantee you'll find an example of her being harassed on public transport – by a man. It is, depressingly, par for the course for most of us – and I say this as a Londoner who's lived in the capital my whole life. The main culprit? Men on London Underground, where packed train carriages are easy fodder for wannabe gropers. But there are bad men on buses, too. There's no way I would ever allow my teenage daughter to take the night bus home like I did, not when I know – firsthand – just how dangerous it can be for women. Our stories are often anecdotal, because we know for a fact that women often don't report what has happened to them – after all, there are few areas of crime where the British justice system is so particularly ill-equipped to advocate for women as rape and sexual assault. Just this week, for instance, a watchdog warned that the handling of rape cases at an early stage by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is 'not good enough', risks a poor service to victims – and said that 'urgent improvements' are needed. When I ask female friends who live in London whether they've ever had any negative encounters on the Tube, almost every one of them has a story. 'I got followed by a man moving from carriage to carriage on the East London line late at night,' one friend tells me. 'Each time he followed me, he sat right next to me – until I ran off the train last minute before the doors closed at Wapping. I didn't report it, though.' When I ask her why she didn't, she says: 'There was nobody at the station to report it to. Wapping doesn't have anyone visible around after about 9pm. Plus, I was far too busy making sure I got somewhere – safe and fast – to think about stopping to tell anyone. 'The police wouldn't have been able to do anything, either, as I didn't know if he got off at Wapping or carried on to another stop – it would have been a wild goose chase for them and a waste of time.' 'I've been rubbed up against on the Tube too many times to count,' another friend reveals, saying that the experiences were 'gross' – while another recounts how she was followed home by a man at a deserted train platform at Catford and had to run. The Labour MP – who's no stranger to being targeted (she's one of a group of female MPs who has been repeatedly targeted with abuse from anti-abortion activists, stalkers and misogynists; and has even had to have a panic button installed inside her home) – said she was now planning to report the incident to the police. In a post on X, Creasy said: 'If you were one of the passengers on the victoria line just now who intervened to stop a man hassling me thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please get in touch with my office if you are prepared to be a witness as maybe the police might listen to you about him now!' Stella speaks for all of us. I've had far too many unsavoury experiences on public transport – from taking a friend on the Tube for her first ever visit to London, aged 19, when a man sat next to us and made obscene gestures with his tongue and fingers; to being followed last month, carriage to carriage on the Elizabeth Line, by a burping and farting man on the 8am commute to work. I moved away as it became apparent that he wasn't well – that's what I assumed given he was cackling, releasing deafening guttural burps and constantly passing wind (I was actually worried he might vomit) – but as soon as he clocked I was moving away in fear and disgust, the challenge was apparently on. He started laughing even more loudly and following me as I weaved my way through crowds of commuters to put some distance between us. Other passengers clocked what was happening, but nobody stepped in – perhaps no surprise, when you consider that BTP data shows that while more than a third of women have been sexually harassed on train and Tube journeys, only one in five people who have witnessed incidents of sexual harassment reported it to police. I just had to keep moving, faster and faster – and then waited until the last minute and jumped off the train as the doors were about to close, so that he couldn't follow me anymore. There are so many more stories: the man who came up to talk to me while I was travelling in an empty carriage home from visiting a friend at night; who saw I had my headphones on and did what too many men do to women when they're clearly wanting to be left alone: he gestured at me to take my headphones off so we could chat. When I refused to do so – shaking my head to signal clearly that I didn't want to chat, that I was quite content minding my own business, actually – he got aggressive. They always do. A damning report released last August revealed violent attacks towards women more than doubled in the two years previous, with more than a third of women were subjected to sexual harassment or sexual offences while commuting via train or Tube, according to data published by the British Transport Police Authority. Figures also revealed a surge from 7,561 in 2021 to 11,357 in 2023 of crimes against women and girls. I don't have the answers as to why so many men harass women on public transport – whether it's opportunist, a 'misinterpretation', or 'accidental' – but I suspect the depressing truth is simply 'because they can'.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- BBC News
Surrey Police crackdown on harassment of female joggers
Police in Surrey have launched a crackdown on harassment of female campaign - named Jog On - will see non-uniformed female Surrey Police officers jogging in key of catcalling and sexually suggestive comments will be dealt with by support crackdown is being rolled out following the force's work identifying and intervening violence against women and girls in bars, clubs and town centres across the county. It follows a 2025 study which revealed that while 94% of over 450 female residents surveyed in Surrey had experience of a form of harassment, 49% never reported it, according to Surrey County campaign is designed to be "varied and unpredictable," taking place at any time of day, according to police. 'Taking it seriously' Insp Jon Vale said harassment of women was "not welcome in Surrey"."We have female officers and staff members who have been the subject to such behaviour when off duty," he said."Please reflect and ask yourself 'is this how you would treat or want your partner, mother or sister to be treated'?" Olivia Derrick, head of Wherever, Whenever Walks, a women's safety and empowerment group in Surrey, said police have joined their walks."I was assaulted at a young age, so women's safety is something that I'm very passionate about," Ms Derrick said."It's great to see that Surrey Police are taking it so seriously."Surrey Police say violence against women and girls can be reported through its website, online reporting tool or by calling 101.
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
German Cities Tap Night Cabs to Give Women Safer Rides
In Germany, growing anxiety over women's safety has prompted several cities to launch night cab subsidy programs. Women can collect €10 vouchers to help pay for taxi rides. So far, cities from Munich to Mannheim have reported strong demand. The initiatives come as violence against females is rising across the country, with a recent surge in sexual offenses. Some users call the programs a game-changer, while experts question their effectiveness in tackling the root causes without broader interventions. The programs' success has also revealed limitations, including funding to keep them going, Marilen Martin reports. Today on CityLab:
South China Morning Post
01-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
In India, alleged rape of Kolkata student sparks debate over women's safety, political row
The alleged rape of a law student at a Kolkata college – less than a year after a trainee doctor's rape and murder sparked national outrage – has reignited debate over women's safety in India and triggered political infighting in West Bengal's ruling party. Advertisement The latest case took place on June 25 at South Calcutta Law College, where the student was allegedly lured to stay after hours by Monojit Mishra, a temporary college staff member who is also a former student previously affiliated with the ruling Trinamool Congress's student wing. He is accused of orchestrating the assault along with two current students, who allegedly restrained the victim and filmed the crime. All three, along with a security guard, have been arrested. Authorities formed a special investigation team that reviewed CCTV footage, mobile phone data and medical evidence, which reportedly confirmed forced penetration and signs of physical assault. Investigators say the victim provided a detailed and timely complaint, helping expedite early arrests. Law students shout slogans during a protest march in Kolkata on Monday after a 24-year-old law student was allegedly raped on the campus of South Calcutta Law College on June 25. Photo: EPA The Trinamool Congress acknowledged Mishra's party ties, but said it would not interfere in the investigation. The case has triggered a political firestorm, with party leaders trading barbs and public outrage growing over the tone of some official responses. Advertisement
