Women’s Aid, alongside 76 of its member organisations, have issued an urgent letter to the Home Secretary, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, demanding that the horrendous knife attack in Southport earlier this week be viewed not in isolation but instead as part of the wider epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) that plagues the country.
The horrific attack on Monday 29 of July has resulted in the tragic murder of three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and the injury of 8 more. Women’s Aid and colleague’s whole-hearted thoughts are with the families of the girls and those who knew them.
This incident is a horrific tragedy – it is disappointing that it is being viewed in isolation and not through a lens of VAWG. As with other incidents we have seen in recent years – whether it be the murders of Nicole Smallman, Bibaa Henry, Sarah Everard, Ellie Gould, or Alice Ruggles – the violence has always been a male problem.
This has been further shown to be true through the misogynistic and violent messages that VAWG sector organisations have received after posting about Monday’s attack.
Less than a week ago, the National Police Chiefs Council’s (NPCC’s) report declared VAWG a national emergency. The VAWG sector has long been raising the alarm bells about this national threat that has not been sufficiently prioritised, addressed through the right, meaningful action or accountability, or received the investment needed to address and end it. Furthermore, while the findings of the NPCC into the scale of violence against women and girls in this country are alarming, it is important to remember that many survivors will not report their experiences to the police. The issue will, we know, be much larger than the data shows.
The violence of far-right groups and their supporters that took place on Tuesday 30 July is horrifying. These ‘protests’ and attacks on a Southport Mosque are islamophobic, xenophobic and racist. Women’s Aid and sector colleagues are concerned that further ‘protests’ are planned not only in Southport, but across the country. This is terrifying for women as a whole, and for the women and children supported by services having experienced male violence.
The sector has welcomed the Government’s mission to halve VAWG in a decade, but the wait has been too long. Urgent action needs to be taken so we do not see more senseless attacks like that in Southport on Monday.
The joint letter calls on the government to step up its cross-government action on its VAWG mission through engagement with VAWG sector experts, providing long-term investment in our specialist services and prevention, and developing and delivering a new Ending VAWG strategy.`
Full letter and list of 76 signatories can be downloaded from https://www.womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-and-member-organisations-issue-letter-to-home-secretary-following-southport-attack/