Jess Phillips MP says stopping violence against women and girls should be everyone’s “core business”

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips MP has said stopping VAWG should be everyone’s “core business”, speaking at a Labour conference fringe event.

At the Rally Against Violence Towards Women and Girls on September 24, she said: “This won’t change unless we make it systematic for anyone who ever comes across either a victim or a perpetrator to think of it as being their core business to do something about this.

“It cannot be just the responsibility of the violence against women and girls sector anymore. Every doctor, every nurse, every housing provider, every council, every mayor, every government department has to understand that the regime is changing”.

Also at the event, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP reiterated Labour’s promise to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. She received applause from the room when she talked about the government’s moves to embed domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms, introduce an exemption from local connection rules on social housing for domestic abuse victims and buffer zones around abortion clinics.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP spoke on the need to change harmful attitudes towards women and girls and the role that men have to play in tackling VAWG.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) say 3000 VAWG related offences are recorded each day. At least 1 in every 12 women will be a victim per year - with the exact number expected to be much higher.