Deeds not words
Within a few days of each other July I learned of two pieces of news that really hit home about the challenges faced by women and girls in my constituency.
Firstly, a report from children’s charity Plan International UK revealed that my hometown of Blackpool is the second toughest town to be a girl. A few days later police chiefs declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.
The Plan International report looked at local authority data for 12 different indicators to understand the place-based inequalities girls aged 16-24 face including sexual assault, child poverty, teenage pregnancy, health and academic attainment.
Blackpool underperformed on so many metrics that it is a notable outlier, distinct from all but one of the worst performing communities.
Deprivation is a source of these barriers along with structural failure from central and devolved government in supporting girls to live healthy and safe lives.
In the House of Commons asked the Government to place the outcomes for girls in my constituency at the heart of their action on gender inequality and deprivation.
As a White Ribbon Ambassador for the past five years and having worked with women fleeing domestic violence, I know how urgent it is that we tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), not only in my constituency but nationally.
On 23rd July the police national lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, Maggie Blythe, announced VAWG as a national emergency.
Every 3 days, a woman in the UK falls victim to a fatal act of violence by a man, a staggering reality that cannot be ignored.
2 million women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence. Domestic abuse constitutes 18% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales. In the year ending March 2022, a shocking 194,683 sexual offences were reported, including 70,330 rapes, with many still going unreported.
And gendered violence was of course one of the many reasons Blackpool was named the second toughest town to be a girl.
The Prime Minister has promised to halve violence against women and girls within a decade through stricter enforcement and protection, including specialist domestic abuse workers responding to emergency calls.
Early prevention is also key in tackling this issue. Labour will ensure schools address misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent. We are committed to ensuring police forces have the necessary power to track and tackle the problem.
On the Reclaim the Night march in Blackpool last winter
I have seen the vital work being done by organisations such as Fylde Coast Womens Aid to protect and support women and grassroots project Reclaim Blackpool Map, which supports women in sharing their stories of public sexual harassment, most of which go unreported to the police.
I raised this urgent issue as part of my response to the King’s Speech in the House of Commons and I will continue to do so to ensure that VAWG in Blackpool is taken seriously.
I will continue to support the charities and women already doing great work in the area and I will listen to their voices to ensure that I can advocate for them effectively in Parliament.
If you are a woman who has been a victim of violence or abuse visit https://fcwa.co.uk for support. If you would like to share a story of public sexual harassment visit reclaimblackpoolmap.co.uk. If you’d like to make a report to the police, you can do so by reporting online – lancashire.police.uk/reportonline, calling 101, or in an emergency dial 999.
